The Legend of Zelda: Revenge of the Rebel Prince
by AdinaRossi
Summary: The rebels have struck Hyrule in a final attempt to capture and sacrifice the Princess. An advisor of the Royal Council flees and finds refuge in Ordon Village after a divine encounter, meeting the destined hero, Link. Together, they must fulfill the tasks set before them: reawakening the sages, freeing the enslaved, and healing the past. Can two emotional teens save Hyrule?
1. Chapter One

Hyrule, the land of beauty and grace. It's beauty consists of vast deserts and evergreen forests. It is blessed by the goddesses from up above. No other kingdom dare compare to the land of majesty. The citizens are quite peaceful and full of kindness.

However, darkness does visit the land for its most precious belonging: The Triforce. Over the years, treacherous leaders rose to claim it for their own. To just make a wish.

But the hero was sent to stop them. He carried the Triforce of Courage, and tried with all his might to defeat darkness.

Now here, in the midst of the evergreen Faron Woods, lies a village with the name of Ordon. Quite a few people live there. There is a mayor, and shops of all kinds.

One person who lives in Ordon, is Link.

Link is quite an interesting boy; he's an orphan, has a sister, lives with his grandma, and works at his family bakery. Many do say he is slightly shy, but he can talk for hours once he is comfortable. The girls in Ordon do say he is handsome; his dark blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and fair skin make him marvelous.

Anyway, after weeks of non-stop working at the bakery, he was finally off. You have no clue how tired he was. He actually slept in, for once.

At 12 noon, he awoke, dragged himself out of bed, and dressed himself, slowly. All he wanted to do was lay around and lounge all day, but Grandma would yell at him. He also had promised to hang out with his childhood best friend, Cherry.

She did have a strange name, but it was because her father, the Mayor, named her after her mother's favorite fruit. Her mother died at childbirth. After her death, Cherry needed someone to watch over her, so Link's grandma did. Ever since, they have become good friends with one another.

After some long, late breakfast, Link left and knocked at the door to her home.

Cherry of course, opened it.

"Hey, Link!" She greeted him. Her ginger hair was up in a bun.

"Hi, Cherry." He replied, groaning.

"I knew you were tired. I have tea inside. come in."

Link walked into her house, the Mayor's house. She gave him a cup of tea once he sat down.

"You finally get a day off, huh?" She asked.

"Finally. We haven't hung out in a month and a half." Link said.

"Yeah, I missed you. All I did was read. I have no more books to read now!" She said.

It was quiet for a few moments, then Cherry broke it.

"Link, I've been meaning to ask you something that I didn't get to talk to you about. " Cherry said.

 _Um_ _, okay?_ he thought.

"Go on," He replied.

"We've been friends for a long time, Right?"

"Um, yea?" Link responded, confused.

"Okay. I know we did everything together, practically lived together. And we known each other for like, ever. But there's one thing we never did."

 _Is she trying to..._.

Link kinda knew that Cherry liked him. How could he respond to this?

"Can you teach me how to use a sword? you're good at it, I would like to learn it as a hobby, you know."

 _Oh._ "Yeah sure," He said. "You just need a swo-"

"I got one already, I'll get it and meet you outside, okay?"

She ran up her stairs into her room.

 _Well, she was well prepared._ He went outside, and awaited her arrival. There were already wooden figures standing, modeled after extinct monsters. S _he was well prepared for this, aha._

Cherry ran out of her house, with a raggedy wooden sword in hand. _Ouch._ That thing looked like it gave splinters. A splinter generator.

"I got it!" She sang, waving the sword.

"Good, but don't hold it like that, you'll hurt your hand."

"Oops! This is why I'm learning from you!" She squealed.

"It's okay. Shall we get started?"

The first few tries, Cherry nearly killed birds. It was pretty hilarious. It's not as easy as it looks.

Link taught her basic skills, how to slash and spin, and chop.

She did her the hang of it after a while. She was great at slashing, but she could not do any chopping. She practiced for a good two hours.

"I'm hungry," Cherry complained. "This is like excersice, ew."

"Lets go to my house. We got _free food and dessert_ ," Link recommended.

"Sounds good to me."

They walked to the Bakery together. Ruby and Grandma would be working there.

"Hello," Link said when they walked in.

"Cherry!" Grandma yelled with excitement. She walked up to her and hugged her.

"Haven't seen you in a while, come and eat."

Cherry and Link sat down, as Grandma put together a meal.

Ruby came from behind the counter and joined them.

"Heya," Ruby greeted. "Having fun today on this rare day off?" She asked.

"Yeah," Link said.

"He taught me how to use a sword. I've been meaning to ask him, well, since he's quite good at it. " Cherry replied.

Ruby leaned over to Link's ear and whispered, "She thinks you're the best because she's head over heels for you!" Ruby teased.

Link slapped Ruby's arm.

"Ow! "

Grandma came out with three plates filled with bread, ham, cheese , and butter.

"I figured Ruby would take a break, and I already ate." Grandma said.

"Thank you, " they said in unison as She left the room.

"Is this Foccacia bread?" Cherry asked.

Link took a bite. "Yep!" he replied.

"YES!" Ruby exclaimed. She ripped her bread in half horizontally.

"What exactly are you doing?" Link asked Ruby.

"Making a bread layer dish. Put toppings on top of one half of bread, and enclose it with another!" Ruby said as she finished making it.

She took a bite. "Yum!"

Link shook his head. His sister always came up with wacky ideas.

Conversely, Cherry ate everything separately. Link also did the same.

"What you wanna do afterward?" Link asked Cherry.

"I was thinking about going to the lake to see the sunset." She replied.

Ruby leaned into Link's ear: "Watching the sunset? How _romantic!"_ She whispered.

Link once again slapped her arm.

"Sounds good to me." Link said.

"Shucks." Ruby said. "I would want to go too, but I still have to work and I wouldn't wanna ruing anything for you two," Ruby stood up and grabbed her plate.

"Maybe next time," Cherry responded.

"I gotta go. See you later." Ruby left the room and went into the kitchen.

"We should get going. the sun is setting in about two hours." Cherry said.

"Okay, lets go then."

Link and Cherry arrived at the lake and settled down. It was a small fishing lake, but sunsets here were wonderful. Not a lot of Ordonians knew this though. It was like a secret.

While waiting for the sunset, they caught up on what happened over the past month and a half.

Link talked about how he got in trouble for stupid things, like leaving the oven on, how Ruby spilled flour all over the kitchen. He also told about the time when Ruby got furious at a cocky customer, and threw his eclair at him.

Cherry talked about the books she read, like history books and novels. She talked about her dad, the mayor, and how he was acting. The mayor wanted to re- marry. Cherry was upset about it.

"I'm just not ready for a mother in my life," She explained. "And I don't know if I would have half- siblings. I couldn't deal with that."

"Don't worry about it." Link told her. "I'll be here."

Cherry also talked about how she wanted to visit the CastleTown, To explore it and get a chance to meet the Princess of Hyrule.

After a few moments of silence, Cherry asked something to Link.

"Do you ever wish your parents never died?" She asked.

Link stared at the ground, and ripped a piece of grass off of it.

"Sometimes. I just wish my mom never died giving birth, but that would also mean Ruby wouldn't exist. I can't also control the fact that my dad died fighting for Hyrule." He responded, quietly.

"Was it the _Dark war?_ " Cherry asked. "Was that the war your dad fought in?"

Link ripped the piece of grass into shreds.

"Yeah. One of the rebels slashed him with a sword. He was trying to protect the princess. "

"Wait, wasn't the princess very young? Why was she out there?" Cherry anxiously asked.

"No, the other one. Princess... Something. I don't remember. She died in the war too, I think. The other princess is still alive."

"That makes more sense." She replied. "Poor princess."

"The Dark War was horrid, so many people died. Even The former princess. Hopefully nothing similar will happen again while we're alive." Link sighed.

"It was some prince from the desert who lead the rebels, right?"

"Yep," Link responded. "All for the Triforce."

"All people want is power, I guess. " Cherry told.

The sun began to set over the trees. The sky contained so much colors. There was pink, purple, blue, orange and red, green, yellow, and white. It was like an artist's painted masterpiece.

"Isn't it amazing how majestic the sky looks?" Cherry exclaimed.

"The creations of the goddesses are extremely wonderfilled." Link softly said.

The sun sank down into the trees, whereas there was only a puny amount of light outside.

"I should go before it gets too dark. I'll see if I can visit you tomorrow at the bakery." Cherry told Link.

"Please do. I'm gonna go home too, I'm exhausted." Link said.

They left the lake together. Link walked Cherry home.

"See you later, I guess." Link said.

"Goodnight to you as well." Cherry smiled, and shut the door closed.

Ruby greeted Link when he arrived at the house.

"Hey Link! Did you and Cherry _kiss_?" she teased

Link rolled his eyes.

"I did not kiss her. We're just friends, afterall." Link replied.

"How depressing. Just friends." Ruby told him.

"Okay, you can stop now. " He scowled. "You vex me."

"well, bye then." Ruby went to her room.

It was already eight at night, so Link went on a quest for food. He went as far as the kitchen.

There was some bread and meat, and a tiny bit of red wine. In no time, it was completely devoured by him.

After he ate, he went to bathe in the washroom. When was the last time he cleaned himself? He couldn't remember. He didn't smell too bad, so it must've been recent.

When he finished, Ruby had turned of all the torches and lamps inside the house. He then dressed into nightclothes, lit a candle, and went to look for grandma.

She was found in her room, sleeping. _She's getting old._ He left the room and headed for his own, precious bed. It was ten at night, and all he wanted was to sleep. He was drained of all his energy.

Link went under his covers, blew his candle, and closed his eyes, falling into sleep.

 **Later...**

 ** _BOOM!*_**

A sound so deafening, it compelled Link to wake up. Link shot out of bed, and ran outside.

When he opened his door, his eyes widened, full of terror.


	2. Chapter Two

Link couldn't believe what he saw. There was a fire, in the distance. He didn't know where it was, but it seemed far away. An explosion? What could it have been? It was so ear- piercing, but it was far away? This seemed oodly strange.

Link grabbed a lantern that was hanging out his door, and headed outdoors.

He saw Cherry, with herself enclosed in a wool blanket. She too, had a lantern, and was awaken by the mysterious, dreary sound.

"Link," Cherry whispered. "Did you hear that noise?"

"Yes, I think it came from far away." He was still a bit startled.

"At least it wasn't here. But we gotta check just in case." Cherry recommended.

"I don't think walking in a huge forest at night is a good idea," Link said.

"Come on! We need to see if our village is safe. Lets just make sure it is. Please, Link?" She begged.

"Fine, but not for too long. I have to work in a few hours."

Link grabbed Cherry's hand, and lead her into the dark forest.

The only source of light the had was the two lanterns and the moonlight. They walked by the lake, and parts of the forest.

"I don't see anything." Link inquired. "Let's go."

"Link, how about the outer region?" Cherry asked.

"No. It's dangerous over there." Link responed.

"Please? What if the 'boom' came from there, and the fire slowly spreads? The forest is full of wood, don't you remember?"

Link bit his lip. It was risky, but she had a point.

"Okay, only for a few seconds." He sighed.

The outer region was the deepest part of the woods. Not a single person knew what was there, some claim that there was strange, treacherous beings. Others claim that it holds secrets.

But who knows what actually lies in the depths of the forest?

The entrance to the Outer Region consisted of a tall gate, and a vast bridge. Unfortunately, the gates were locked. He had forgotten the Mayor held the key.

"Looks like it's the end of the line for us," Link said.

"Let's just go back then, " Cherry responded. "It seems as if everything is fine here."

"Yeah, the explosion must've been somewhere else. Maybe a bomb went off somewhere." Link chuckled.

Hand in hand, they headed back toward the village. It was three in the morning, and they were both extremely tired.

"I don't want to work tomorrow," Link complained.

"I know baking is boring, but if you work hard, maybe your grandma will give you more days off." Cherry said.

"If she's nice, I suppose."

"I'm sure sh-"

Cherry stopped in the midst of her words. She looked around curiously, as if looking for something.

"Do you feel it?" She asked.

Link stood very still. He felt ground shaking beneath his feet, and heard slight thundering noise. _An earthquake?_

"I do. Tonight is full of surprises."

Cherry ran across the woods, in search for the source of the sound.

"Cherry, where are you going?" Link yelled.

"Checking it out! I think it's getting closer!" She yelled back.

Link sped to catch up with her. Cherry stopped at the entrance to the woods, and stared in utter shock.

"Oh my..." she whispered.

Link stared at the sight. Horses with men. They carried weapons and blades of all sorts. They were approaching quickly. _Why would an army come here in the midst of the night? Only people who-_

"Invaders!" Cherry claimed. "We have to warn the village!"

Link and Cherry ran to the Village, as quickly as they could. The thundering became louder, and you could hear galloping of the horses. An army came for them.

Link despratley knocked on doors, hoping to startle civilians awake.

"Invaders!" Cherry screamed. "Wake up, wake please!" Her cry was desperate.

Link ran into his house and into Ruby's room, shaking her wide awake.

"What?!" Ruby groaned.

"Go to the basement. Hide. Just make sure you are safe with grandma." Link told her.

"Wait, why?" She asked.

"Just go there. It's gonna be fine," he assured her.

"How about you? What are you doing?" she asked.

"Don't worry about me. Just listen to my words," Link then ran off outside.

Cherry didn't succeeded in warning the villagers.

"They think it's a practical joke. What shall I do?"

Link responded, "I'll get them up and safe. You need to hide, until everything is clear and okay."

It was too late to do that. The horse and men were entering the village. Upon closer inspection, they wore the crest of the dark rebels on their uniforms... They were the rebels...

Cherry and Link stood frozen still. They had no clue of what danger they were in.

The horses ran into Link, knocking him down with incredible force.

"Link!" Cherry screamed.

Link was paralyzed for a moment. Shock went through his body, his feet were tingling. Cherry ran towards him and helped him up. She handed him her wooden sword.

"You're better than me, anyway. They're here to hurt us."

The men raided into the homes, screams rose into the foggy night. They were dragging out girls from their homes.

"Let them go!" Cherry yelled. She ran to a horse and pushed a man off.

Link ran towards her, making sure she was okay.

"Cherry, you need to-"

"AH!"

Link turned, and there he saw Ruby, being forced and taken from his home. His sister was being captured.

"Help!"

Link _bolted_ towards his only sibling. Oh how upset he was. Why did these men want the girls?

"Let my sister go!" Link screamed.

The man who took his sister knocked him down with his left foot. Link fell to the ground, more hurt than he already was.

"Ruby. .."

Link stood and limped towards her. But it was too late...

Cherry approached Link.

"They've taken almost every girl in the village."

"Including Rub- Watch out, Cherry! "

Cherry ducked just in time, one man tried to slash her with a sword. She gasped for air.

"Oh no, you didn't.." She growled.

"Cherry, control yoursel-"

She snatched the sword out of Link's hand, and ran towards the man who tried to injure her.

"You bloody bastard!" She attacked him, swaying her sword towards his shoulder. The man dodged, took his own weapon, and broke the terrible wooden sword.

Cherry hesitated, and laughed nervously.

"Uh, heh, heh?"

The man grabbed her wrist.

"If you aren't the princess of Hyrule, you'll make a great servant for Henrad's kingdom... heh." He chuckled. Cherry coughed, for his breath was foul.

"Let her go!" Link said.

The man in response forced Cherry on his horse, secured her so she couldn't escape, and let his horse kick Link with hind legs.

He flew. Literally flew towards the walls of the houses.

His stomach and back bruised, Link couldn't stand. He gave up. There was nothing he could do. All was lost. His mind was dreary.

"Link!" Cherry screamed. He could not help her. He saw the army take capture others, and rode out of the village. He couldn't do a single thing. Link felt fuzzy, his mind blanked. His whole body seemed to shut off, and feel numb. His eyes closed, and he fell into unconsciousness.

 **The Prophecy**

 _From time to time,_

 _now and then,_

 _a hero is destined_

 _to save the land._

 _He shall go through valleys,_

 _and mountains vast,_

 _cross great rivers ,_

 _and break the dark cast._

 _Today my hero,_

 _you rise once more,_

 _to save my Hyrule_

 _from despair once more._

 _The Rebel prince,_

 _has vowed revenge,_

 _It's time_

 _to end this mess._

 _However hero,_

 _you will not be alone,_

 _I sent you someone_

 _to guide your journey._

 _She has the kindness of a child,_

 _Eyes of the sea._

 _Her heart is tender, her love is stern_

 _She's an amazing companion, you can endure._

 _Times will be tough_

 _Pain will be felt_

 _but always know you are the one_

 _that can save us all._

 _It's time for the spirit_

 _of the hero in you_

 _to awaken_

 _and fufil destiny._

 _Rise up, Link!_ _Time is running out._

 _He is trying to make slaves of my people_

 _Hurry before the land is engulfed in darkness..._


	3. Chapter Three

" _Link, Link?"_

Link stirred, groaning in pain.

" _You need to eat, before you starve to death!"_

Link opened his eyes. They burned, and his vision was blurry.

"Look who's awake."

When his vision cleared, he recognized the person who was caring for him.

"H-hello, Mr. Mayor," Link stuttered.

"How are you feeling?" He asked him.

"Like a load of crap," Link replied.

"Me too..." The mayor sighed.

Link felt like a miserable failure. He couldn't protect his people...

"Can you stand?" Asked the Mayor.

"I can try..."

The mayor helped Link up. He wobbled and almost tripped, but he managed to walk slowly. The mayor led him to his dining table, and served him a broth.

Link ate it slowly, but it was extremely refreshing to him.

When he finished, the mayor took his dish, and served tea.

"I'm sorry," Link quivered.

"For what?" the mayor asked.

"I failed to protect the village, and your daughter."

Link stared at the wall, holding back the hot, boiling tears from his face.

"Link..." The mayor sighed. "It isn't your fault. Sometimes, we can't control the fate of others. But we can hope that it can go right."

"What if I never see them again?"

"Don't be negative. I'm sure we can find a way."

 _As if..._

"I hope."

Link stood from the table and pushed his chair in.

"Thank you so much, I greatly appreciate it."

"My pleasure. Your grandma is at your home, if you want to see her."

 _She wasn't taken?_ Link bolted to his house. How worried she must be! He could not imagine how she feels over the fact that Ruby and Cherry were taken...

"Grandma?" Link called.

Link ran inside her room. She was lying in bed, with a were rag over her head. Miss Dale, her friend, was tending her.

"Link..." Her voice was raspy.

He noticed that his grandma had bruises and marks, on her face and arms.

"What happened? " he questioned.

"I tried saving her."

Link came closer to her. Grandma's eyes were glassy.

She continued. "They hurt me, I tried to do all I could when they invaded my bakery."

Link wrapped his arms around his only guardian. She squeezed tight, her tears fell onto Link's outfit.

"I think you should leave your grandmother to rest," Miss Dale told Link. "She isn't feeling too well."

Link nodded in response, and left her room.

Still hungry, he went into the kitchen, and found any remains of food. No luck. He looked inside the cabinets and drawers, but only found his prize possession: an ocarina, with an engraved triforce. He had only learned a few songs when he received it for his birthday; it was from Ruby as an inside joke. It meant the whole world to him. _Maybe,_ he thought, _If I play it, it could calm my spirit._

He walked to the lake, where he would always meet Cherry, and started to fiddle with it. He only could remember a few songs, but he sounded like a bird's demise.

He held it into the air, admiring its beauty. It was the best gift he had ever gotten.

When he held it up, something terrible happened: A shadowy figure snatched it out of his very own hands.

"Hey!" Link yelled. He stood quickly and chased the thief like a wolf. His only prized possession from his sister had been stolen from his very own hands.

He ran into the depths of the forest, and lost track.

 _This is the worst week of my whole existence..._

He gave up, and proceeded to walk back to the lake. And there he saw the thief, washing their hands in the lake. _Perfect chance._ "Give me back my ocarina!" Link demanded loudly.

The thief turned, stood up quickly, and sprinted.

Link wasn't going to let this criminal get away.

He chased after him, running like a crazy man. The thief was trying to run with all his might.

Finally, the thief tripped and fell, his body falling to the moist grass.

Link approached him, and unveiled his cloak that hid his face.

It revealed a woman.

 _A girl?_ _Great. Just great._ How furious Link was! His eyes burned with rage and fire. People were really pissing him off. He grabbed her by the wrist, with fire in his eyes. Never had he been so angry with someone. His world fell apart, and she came to wreck it more. Did the gods hate him?

"Let me go!" she pleaded. But he would not. He was not finished with her. He would make sure she got what she deserved.

"Why would I let go a criminal?" He responded, with a fierce tone.

"Sir, I am not a criminal! It's a mix up."

"And why would I believe you? I saw you. You have the same coat as the thief did."

She looked at him with her blue bell eyes, beautiful eyes, but full of anger and confusion.

"Could it ever occur to you that we have the same coat? Its popular in fashion. "

"Malarkey!" He justified.

"Malarkey?" She asked in confusion. "I am no thief! You're judging me because I looked like your suspect? Do you even know what happened to me?"

"I don't care about you at the moment. Give back what you stole!"

"I did not steal any possession of yours!"

"Blasphemy!"

She looked at him intensely, her eyes full of bitter sadness. She sighed, for she could not prove herself.

"Say what you think," she stated. "Even though I state the truth, accuse me of wrongdoing."

He looked at her with his icy blue eyes, with hatred and rage. She was a criminal- she had stolen all he had left of his sister: The prized ocarina. His sister was now captured and nowhere to be found, it was the only memory left of her. He felt as if that was the only thing left of her. And this thief- this low life criminal stole the possession from his very own hands. She was a snake, not to be trusted.

"I do not believe a word you say. You speak lies." was all he replied.

Still grabbing her wrist, he lead her inside the mayor's house, to have her face justice on such a dreadful day. She still tried to bail, she wiggled and twisted, but his strength was great.

He lead her into the office, where the mayor was sitting, still with his mind set of his daughter being captured the night before.

"I brought before you a thief," he said.

"A thief? " the mayor questioned. "She's a woman!"

"What difference does it make?" he questioned. "A criminal is a criminal, regardless of gender."

"I am not a criminal!" she exclaimed. "You have mistaken me for someone else!"

"You speak lies!" he shouted.

"Calm yourselves!" the mayor said. "Did you give her a chance to even say a word? To explain?"

He sighed, for he had not. And he didn't want to hear lies.

"I did not..." he mumbled.

"Dear miss, what's your name?" the mayor asked.

"Regina. My name is Regina."

"Lovely name. Are you feeling okay?"

"No, my head hurts and is in flames. My body is aching."

"Sickness? "

"Maybe from the rain..." she mumbled.

"What rain?" the mayor asked.

"See, this is nonsense." he said.

Regina rolled her eyes, and continued.

"Well, It was raining in the field, and I had fainted there."

"Fainted?" the mayor asked.

"Yes, odd place to faint." he mumbled.

Regina stared at him sternly. She just wanted to slap the hell out of the man.

"Yes I did faint, and it wasn't my fault. I was escapi-"

"This is utter nonsense! " he said. "Can you really believe this? What can you possibly escape from? "

"I ESCAPED FROM CASTLE TOWN, DON'T YOU KNOW THAT IT'S TAKEN OVER BY THE REBELS?"

Regina was fuming. She could not cope with his prejudice and pride. She had lost it. Her everything destroyed. And now she had to deal with a jerk.

Tears streamed down the face of pain. She wanted the stress taken off her shoulders.

The mayor looked at her, the broken, lost girl, with sympathy.

"Can you tell me what happened?" the mayor asked.

"W-well, the rebels just took over the castle. The princess ran away. I was one of her advisors, and I escaped. She insisted I did. I saw them. They- they just wanted the princess and Hyrule. They want us. The whole town is destroyed. And I have nowhere to go. No family, no friends..."

The room was very still for a moment. The mayor had taken sympathy, her life had been ruined and she had no place to go. She also was accused of a crime she did not do.

On the other hand, Link still disliked her. Her story seemed true, but he could not fully trust her.

"Miss, how would you like to stay in my household until you feel better? We need to take care of your sickness."

"I would greatly appreciate it, thank you sir." she replied.

"Of course. Link, can you take her to Cherry's room? She needs rest."

Link sighed. He had to care for her?

"As always, Mr. Mayor. Follow me, Regina."

He lead her outside the office and into his household. When inside, he lead her to Cherry's room...

"Is she not here?" Regina asked.

Of course she didn't know, she's 'innocent'.

"Our village was attacked hours ago. They captured her, and others, including my sister."

Regina looked upon him with sympathy. Maybe that's why he was being so rude. He just lost a sibling...

"I'm so sorry about that..."

"I hope she'll be okay." Link responded.

Regina settled in the bed, cold and throbbing. Link brought her herbal tea.

"Thank you." she said.

He did not respond, for he still was angry. The room seemed uncomfortable, tension was strongly in the air.

"I still don't trust you." Link stated.

"You still think I lie?" Regina asked.

"Im not saying that you lie," he replied.

Regina's eyebrows furrowed. Why was he being so stubborn? Did she actually have to show him evidence such as if it was a court case?

"I don't get why you still can't trust me. Can you get over this situation? I'm tired of this."

"You don't seem trustworthy," Link said.

"Are you kidding me?" She fumed. "You have no idea what HELL I've been through these past hours. My energy is completely gone, and I'm groggy as heck. I'm sick, tired, and I'm DAMN WELL STRESSED! And YOU'RE MAKING IT SO MUCH WORSE!"

Link was shocked at her stinging words. Where did she come from? Why did she think she could control him?

The room stood awfully still. The tension was a thick as millenniums of dust. Link just wanted to leave.

"Just depart from me, please. I can't take this." Regina looked into his wretched blue eyes, oh how she wanted to slap him.

"Your wish is my command, princess."

Link replied, heading for the door.

 _Princess? Why in-_

"Why 'princess'?" Regina asked.

"Well, you're commanding me as if I was your servant." Link hastily said.

He then left the room, heading for his house.

Regina sighed. How she wanted to kill him! She could not stand his haughty manner. Her life was crumbling before her very eyes, her family dead, her life ruined, and now, this jerk.


	4. Chapter Four

It was dawn of a new day in Hyrule, the birds sang their happy songs. The sky was very blue, and the bees were out and about the land.

Link, still very tired, woke up very early. Since he could not fall back asleep, he decided to dress and go into Ordon.

When he was outside, he spotted Regina talking to the Mayor. _Great..._

"I'm sorry I caused much trouble last night," she was saying. "I am afraid that I was too emotional. I hope I can be of help to you, because of these past events."

"Don't worry about it," the mayor responed. "I'm sure we'll be okay, and Link will recover his anger. He's been through a lot these past hours."

 _Are they talking about me?_

Link tried walking closer to hear their conversation, but Regina spotted him.

"Hello," She greeted.

Even though Link was upset still, he gave her an awkward hello.

"Hi." He pushed words out of his mouth.

"Good to see you up, Link." Said the mayor. "I hope we can recover from these events."

Link nodded in response.

"Link?" Regina asked.

He looked at her, with a stern glare.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry about what happened last night. I didn't mean to be such a pain, I didn't know of what you were going through. I hope you can forgive me."

He just glared, having no clue how to respond. He just looked like a complete idiot.

"It's okay... I guess." He groaned.

She gave him a slight smile. Maybe she wasn't a bad person after all. He was the jerk. Or maybe she was the jerk.

"Do you want some tea?" the mayor asked.

"Of course," Regina said.

"How about you, Link?" the mayor asked.

He hesitated. It would be awkward with Regina in there...

"Sure, I guess." he said.

They both walked into the Mayor's house, and they proceeded to sit down. The Mayor went to the kitchen to boil water. It was just Regina and Link at the table.

Regina tried to break the awkwardness by asking Link a question.

"What's your favorite type of herbal tea?" she asked.

Link replied, "Anise tea."

"Ah." Regina said. "I tend to be more of a Chamomile person."

 _Ew._

"I don't drink much of it," was all he said.

The room stood in silence for minutes. Regina then asked Link another question.

"Are you still upset at me, Link?"

Link just stayed silent.

"I guess you are. That's okay, I suppose, since I was kind of being a bitch yesterday," Regina said.

Link snorted.

The mayor then came in, with three teacups and a teapot. He set it down carefully on the table, since it was fine china.

"Here you go,'' The mayor said.

"What type of tea?" Regina asked.

"Grey tea." He replied.

Link and Regina groaned in unison, Grey tea was disgusting.

The mayor served the tea, and they all drank, very still, very silently. Link was looking at Regina when sipping tea, but after a while he made eye contact with her, causing them both to look away. When Link almost finished with the tea, someone knocked on the door. The mayor answered it. It was Miss Dale.

Link couldn't make out of what conversation happened, but she was making gestures, the mayor was nodding in concern. Regina seemed to try eavesdropping on them too.

The mayor nodded his head, and came back into the room.

"I have to go," he stated. "Mayor business. Link, please make sure Regina is safe until I return."

 _Seriously?_

"Yes, sir."

The mayor exited his home, leaving Regina and Link by themselves. Link just kept drinking his tea.

When Regina finished, she looked around the room, staring at the paintings on the wall. Link watched her. He wondered what she was thinking about.

She then turned and stood up from the table. She grabbed the cups and pot.

"You don't have to watch over me," she said. "I can stay here until he returns, you can relax and go home."

Link was tempted, but what if she burned down the house?

"It's okay, I can stay here." he replied.

Regina nodded in response, and headed inside the mayor's kitchen. Link followed her.

Regina rinsed the dishes in the washbin, and set them upside-down to dry. Link just watched her.

"Do you have any books?" Regina asked.

"Why?"

"I can just read, I suppose. You can do whatever while I read," Regina stated.

"I think there's some books in Cherry's room. I'll show you."

He lead Regina to the room, and showed her a pile of books. She ruffled through them, quickly.

"I read most of these already. "

Really?

"How so?" Link asked.

"When you get bored in a castle, you read. I read too many books."

She continued to look, and finally took one out of the pile.

"It's a history book. 'Tale of the Hero of Twilight'. Seems interesting to me."

"Sounds boring." Link said.

"Well, you never know..." Regina said.

Link paused for a moment. For the past few minutes of talking, he didn't realize she had an accent. He wanted to make sure if it was true.

He asked a question.

"How are you?"

Regina looked confused.

"Why do you ask?"

She did have an accent. It sounded so royal and upclass, so classy.

"You have an accent," Link said.

"I do? I thought you did."

"Me?"

"Well maybe," she said. "It's like a regional accent. I'm from CastleTown, you're from this weird village in a forest. We just sound different to each other."

"Ah." Was all he said.

Regina stared at the ground, as if she was arguing with her own mind. She looked back up, with her eyes wandering around. She then just stared at him.

"Link, may I ask you a question?"

Why did she always have to ask permission?

"Yes?"

"Do you know if there's anyone else who lives outside of this village in the forest?"

What a crazy question.

"No! No one has dared lived in the deep forest. Not anyone that I know of."

"Oh." Her face was full of disappointment.

"Why did you ask?" Link said.

She sighed.

"Promise I won't sound crazy."

Hahaha.

"Okay."

"When I ran away, I fainted, but encountered the goddesses."

 _What in..._

She continued. "It sounds crazy, but they told me to look for someone in these woods. I came here for that reason, but became accused of theft."

Link rolled his eyes.

"I know, I know. But I need the person. They can help me save the kingdom and the princess."

"Is the Princess in danger?" He asked.

"Yes, the rebels are looking for her. We need to find sages to help defeat the Rebel prince."

Regina looked around, nervously.

"Can _you help me?_ " She asked him.

 _Wait, what?_

 _"Why me_?" Link asked.

"I don't know. We came off as a bad start, but I promise you don't have to deal with me any longer after we find the person."

Link bit his lip. At least she would be gone...

"Fine."

"Thank you, so much." She said. "I'm sorry that I do this to you."

"When are we going? Tomorrow?" Link asked.

She hesitated.

"Uh, right now?" Regina said.

 _Right now?_

"We can't waste time." She said.

She had a point, if her claim was true.

"Okay, but I need to get something. Let me meet you outside."

Link ran to the Mayor's office, and rummaged through drawers. He found what he needed: They key to the gate. He also took an iron sword and wooden shield from the wall.

Equipped, he ran outside, where Regina waited.

"Follow me," Link instructed her.

She did as she was told. Link left the village with her, and went into the woods. The woods were quiet and still.

Link unlocked the gate when they reached it. He felt bad for breaking the rules.

 ** _Clink!_**

The lock fell to the ground, and Link opened the gate. It revealed a large bridge, connecting two cliffs.

"Dang," Regina sighed.

They walked across the bridge, and reached the other side.

"I've actually never been here," Said Link.

"And you lived here forever?" She questioned.

"They don't allow us here."

"That's stupid." She scoffed.

They continued to explore the new area. There were so many different types of trees and plants, unknown birds, and much grass.

It didn't seem dangerous to Link. It was just another area of forest. Why did they never let them there?

Regina was looking around, as if she never seen so many trees.

"I think I'm starting to believe you..." She muttered.

"Believe what?" He asked.

"Believe that there is not a single person or thing who lives here,'' She said. "We can turn around if you wish."

"It's fine,'' he said. "Give it more time."

They continued to walk. Link wanted to go home, but he also didn't want to deal with Regina anymore. He thought all hope was lost until...

"Link, do you see that?" Regina asked. She pointed towards the trees.

"See what?"

"Look between those palms."

He inspected closely, and then saw what she was pointing to. A wooden like structure, that looked like a wall...

"Let's check it out!'' Regina was excited. Link was too, because it was a chance to go back and live life.

He followed her through the trees and between those palm trees. When there, he examined it, and touched it. It was most certainly a wall of a household...

Regina Went around the structure.

"I think I see a door,'' she stated.

Link came to where she was. She pointed towards a brown rectangle. That was most definitely a door.

He clutched his hand, and hovered it over the door. He looked at Regina. She gave a nod of approval.

Link then knocked three times on the door.

It opened.


	5. Chapter Five

"Whoa..." Link gasped.

The door of the mysterious house had opened, causing Link to be very surprised. Regina shivered.

Despite the fact that the door opened, no one was behind the door.

 _That seems strange..._

"There's no one here,'' said Link.

"So what?" Regina said. "Let's explore the inside."

Link sighed.

He entered the house first. It smelled so terrible. Regina entered after him, and scrunched her nose in disgust.

"What a ghastly odor," Regina said.

Link nodded in agreement.

Link checked the premises of the house. Not even a person was there.

"Hello?'' Called Regina.

The floor creaked, footsteps were heard. Regina hid behind Link. He rolled his eyes.

Out of the dusty shadows, stood a figure. He was tall, very tall.

"You called?" It asked.

Regina stepped out from behind Link.

"Um, hello!'' She waved at the thing. "The goddesses sent me to see you."

The figure stepped out of the shadows, and revealed himself. Boy, he looked very, well... Interesting.

"The goddesses you say?" he asked.

"Yes. They told me you can help save Hyrule." Regina answered.

"I very much hate the goddesses..." It said.

 _Oh boy._ "Well," Regina said. "That can change!"

Link slapped his forehead.

"What shall I help you with?" It asked.

Regina looked at Link, then at the thing.

"Saving Hyrule from the rebels by awakening the sages of each region."

The thing groaned.

"I hate Hyrule as well."

Regina sighed. Link just watched for entertainment. If he had a cup of tea, it would be more enjoyable.

"Well, you can make exceptions, right?" She asked.

The thing nodded.

"On one circumstance."

"Go on,'' Regina said.

It moved very close to Regina, it almost worried Link. Regina shifted uncomfortably. The thing stroked her cheek.

"I get to marry the princess."

 _Oh my lord._ "I-is that all?" Regina asked, nervously.

"One more thing."

 _Oh boy._ "You and I,'' he said, now running his hands on her back, stomach, and shoulders. "We could do special things..."

 _What did that mean?_ "Like what?" Asked Regina. She was obviously confused.

"Oh, just imagine all the possibillites," he whispered. "Want an example?''

"Uh, Sure!" Regina replied.

"Let me show you. We can do this..."

He groped her breasts, pulled her closer, and kissed her lips.

Link was shook as hell.

"AGH!" Regina screamed in horrifying disgust. "Let me go!''

The thing wouldn't let her go.

She tried to worm her way out, but his grip was way to right. He attempted to kiss her once more.

Before it could, Link ran up to the creature and punched its face, causing it to lose grip on Regina. Regina then wriggled her way out of his arms, and kicked the man, with incredible anger. In an instant, Link grabbed Regina's hand tightly and urgently, and both bolted out the door, quickly as possible. Regina was so sickened. She wanted to barf.

Unfortunately, the man chased after them. He was yelling: "Regina, I know where you came from. You know where the princess is. You better tell the Rebel Prince Henrad, or when he rules, you will suffer for the rest of your life!''

Both Regina and Link ran are fast as they could. They were being chased by a perverted monster. Ew.

"Follow me here,'' Said Link.

He had spotted a cave, where hopefully there was another side to it. She did as he told her to, wanting to get out of the man's range.

Link and Regina ran into the darkness of the cave, trying to be careful but quick, since the man was following them. Link carefully guided Regina over the rocks and rubble, being careful to not let go of her. Regina was trying her best.

The man had entered the cave. Time was running out. If Link did not hurry, he would die, and Regina could end up being... That would be a terrible fate.

"You will not win this war,'' the man yelled from across the cave. He was approaching closer.

Link saw the light from the other end of the cave. How would he get away if the man would just follow them?

Link quickly leapt over rocks, being careful not to trip. Both he and Regina reached the end of the cave, into a different part of the world.

The man was almost out of the cave, ready to pounce on the both of them. Link looked around desperately. What could help them, where could they hide without being found?

Then he saw it: Rocks right on top of the cave. If there was some way to block the entrance using them...

He inspected quickly, and saw what was holding the rocks from falling down. It was a tree root.

"Link, hurry!" Cried Regina. The man was getting closer.

He found a way to climb on top of the cave, using the tree vines. With his sword from the mayor's office, he sawed the root. It split, causing rocks to tower in time, on top of the man, at the mouth of the cave. It killed him.

Link climbed down and approached Regina.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Never been better," she said, sarcastically.

Link smiled. She wasn't a bad person at all.

"Now," said Regina. "The real question is, 'how do we get out of here?'"

Link hit his forehead. There was not a single way out.

"Guess we'll have to go deeper in this forest..."

She sighed.

"I guess it's the only thing we can do. Maybe there's a way out there." She said.

Link nodded. He put away the sword, and started to walk into the clump of trees that lie ahead of him. Regina quickly followed him.

Link tried to find any possible way to leave these deep woods. There were so many trees... ugh.

He just stopped looking. They were lost, there wasn't a point. They mayor wouldn't even know where they were when he returns.

He looked towards Regina; She was looking the other direction. She was probably very stressed. He felt bad foe her, in a sense.

 _Who is Henrad?_ The question just popped in his mind randomly. He had heard it frequently over these past few events. The solider that took Cherry mentioned him, and the thing Regina and him encountered earlier also did as well. Regina obviously knew who he was, since the thing said it to her. It just seemed very strange.

Link decided to ask her.

"Who is Henrad?" he asked.

Regina stopped frozen in her tracks. She was hesitating, deciding whether she should say something, he could tell.

"Oh. He's the Rebel prince who wants to kill the princess."

He knew there was more too it, but obviously, Regina seemed quite uncomfortable with the subject. He just let it go.

"Okay, I was just wondering."

Regina nodded as a reply, then continued to walk around.

He asked her another question.

"Do you think we can find the person you look for?" Link asked.

Regina's eyebrows furrowed.

"Hopefully." She replied. "Maybe it's someone we both don't know of. I'm just seeing how fate will decide how we will find out."

She looked down at the ground, with a face of disappointment. Link knew something was wrong, but he didn't bother her. It war probably the emotions over the past few hours, especially with the wicked creature they encountered earlier.

Now, it was about 13:45 afternoon, and Link was very hungry. Typical teenage thing. Sadly, he didn't have anything with him. _Damn it._ He would die for a piece of bread in this moment. His stomach was bothering him.He looker around for possible fruit plants, such as apples, but there were only oak trees with acorn nuts. If he was a squirrel, he would feast for days on acorns. Unfortunately, he was not a squirrel.

Link was lost in his thoughts, thinking about miscellaneous topics. He was getting bored, and was praying to find a way out so he can return without worrying the mayor. Ugh.

Regina suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. She looked around wondurously, focusing on a certain thing.

"I hear running water." she had observed.

Link gave a look of confusion. Was there even rivers here?

"Stop and listen, I swear I can hear rushing water. " She said.

Link stopped to listen. He became very still, and silent. Water was always a good sign.

 ** _Whoosh..._** "I hear it," he whispered.Regina headed towards the source of sound, running very fast. She must be parched, desperate for water to drink. All she had to drink on this day was horrid Grey tea.

Link decided to run after her. He too, was thirsty. He needed water.

Regina stopped, and to her amazement, there was indeed a stream of flowing water. Link was indeed surprised, he had no clue there were streams and rivers in these blocked-off woods.

Even though he thought she was thirsty, she kept running past the river, following it upstream. Link was confused, he wanted water. He also didn't have a clue of where she was going. Link then called after her.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Regina turned to face him.

"I've been told that a river I encounter in these woods will lead me to a sacred temple where the sage sleeps, if I follow upstream of the river."

She turned back around and began to jog again. Link tried his best to catch up with her. He was following her lead, trusting that she was doing the right thing.

He saw her stop, and gazed above herself.

"They were right..." She gasped. Her face was full of delight.

Link caught up with her and looked above himself as well. He was very stunned at the sight he saw.

A glorious ancient structure stood in front of them. A temple? How could he not know about this?

Conversely, Regina knew exactly what it was.

"It's the Temple of the Forest, where the first asleep sage lies..."

"A temple here?" Link said.

"Yes, the goddesses told me. This sage can help defeat the rebels." She proclaimed.

Regina stared in awe. Link was just surprised that there was even a temple here. He never knew of that. That may have been what the Mayor was hiding... That seemed odd.

Regina suddenly looked at him, her face turning pale. Her face relaxed, and she sighed. She definitely showed many mixed emotions today.

"Are you okay?" Link asked her, concerned for her well-being.

She stared into his icy, light, blue eyes. She locked eye contact with him.

"Now I am,'' She stated. "I think I know who will help me with my journey to save the kingdom. "

Link was surprised. How would she know who it was if she never met someone from this forest?

"Who is it, exactly?" Link asked, wanting to know her reply.

She took a deep breath, and tried managing to keep eye contact with him.

"I was told the chosen one and I would be here at this temple together."

She paused for a moment.

"Link," she continued. "You're the one that is destined to help save Hyrule. You're the chosen hero among the goddesses..."


	6. Chapter Six: (eve of Breath of the wild)

_Chosen what?_

Regina had claimed he was saving Hyrule. There was no way in hell he would do that. Out of all living people in this vast kingdom, why did they choose him? It was just his luck.

"Wait, what?" He said, in shock.

She just sighed.

"I know, you seemed a bit worried, but know that I know of it, it is all connecting together for me."

 _What exactly is connecting together?_ He thought. Was she hiding something?

Regina knew what Link was thinking, for his face showed much emotion.

"You think of me as insane, don't you?" She stated.

Link didn't say a word. He didn't think she was crazy, but it just seemed wrong.

Regina's face suddenly scrunched in confusion.

"I haven't told you yet, have I." She muttered.

 _Told what?_

"When I encountered the goddesses," she began. "They told me many things. They told me of the hero in the forest. The sages that can defeat the enemy. They told of sacred weapons and the fate of Hyrule if it was let alone."

She continued.

"Most of all, they told a prophecy to me, about the chosen hero..."

 ** _The Prophecy of Regina_**

 _You who at most, is shattered and scared._

 _Hyrule now, lies in deepest despair._

 _Your home is gone, your future seemed ruined,_

 _but do not fret, woman, Hyrule will not stay in ruins._

 _Ever since we lived in the sky,_

 _The hero was destined, to save our lives._

 _He was cursed in the end, after the end of the Demise._

 _Every few centuries, evil invades,_

 _The rage of darkness still wants to reign._

 _The spirit of the hero, rises again,_

 _In an innocent boy, an ordinary common,_ _he carries the fate of our sacred blade._

 _Right now, Hyrule seems doomed,_

 _but know that we, know what we do._

 _You will help the new hero, save the land_

 _The power of both of you can make darkness end._

 _He lives deep in the forest, deep in his mind,_

 _You shall know who he is when you meet at the forest shrine._

 _Seek for him, he needs to know,_

 _He is the hero, selected by the gods._

 _Tell of this prophecy, and he shall see_

 _That he is indeed the one we all need._

 _Hurry my child, be safe, have your wisdom,_

 _The prince is looking for the sacrifice to raise the dark one._

 _Make sure the sacrifice is never found,_

 _Keep her safe, don't tell them a word._

 _The time of this Kingdom is running out_

 _Only the power of two can kill the rebels who want the evil king to rise once more..._

 ** _Con._**

"I was trying too hard to find the chosen hero who could help save Hyrule,'' Regina said.

"And now that we are here, I know it's you. You've been _destined,_ chosen by the gods-"

Regina suddenly was distracted by something. She was looking at Link, with wide eyes. She slowly pointed at him.

"Link, were you always wearing that?"

Link looked down upon himself. It was not his normal clothes on him anymore. Instead, it was a stunning green tunic, stretching down very close to his knees. His boots had also changed, he wore white pants and brown gauntlets. and he had some sort of strange green hat on top of his head. His clothes had magically changed?

"I have not been wearing this at all." Link said, very stunned about what happened.

A thought instantly clicked inside Regina's head.

"That's the sacred tunic of the hero of time..."

Link was still in shock. How did these clothes even get on him? Did the prophecy Regina told have some power?

 _As if._

"Then,'' Link said in realization. "I am chosen?"

Regina nodded. "Yes, you are selected by the gods."

 _Holy crap._

He was a hero. A hero? They chose him. Now, that's something special. His people, His best friend, and his sister were taken by this Henrad, who wanted Hyrule for himself. Regina had already been threatened and harassed by some strange man in these woods, and now, he wants Hyrule to himself? And the princess?

Link suddenly felt a spirit of determination, courage rushed into his veins. He was going to do this for Ruby. For Cherry. For his parents and grandmother. For the princess, and Regina, but mostly, for his beloved kingdom, Hyrule. It was his destiny. He was chosen... It was truly an honor.

"I accept," Link exclaimed. "If the gods chose me to defeat the darkness, then I must fulfill my destiny." He smiled.

Regina grinned. "I guess you're really up to it, huh?"

Link nodded.

Regina looked towards the shrine.

"Well, I guess we have to awaken the sage of forest. Are you ready?"

"I am." he said.

Regina walked slowly up the steps to the temple, with Link following behind her gradually. She stopped at the entrance to the temple, and took a deep breath. She was hesitating. Maybe she was nervous. Link guessed since she never been inside such a thing. But He hadn't either. He guessed it was different experience for her.

She finally moved, walked down into the shrine, with Link following her.

The scent of moist ivy welcomed them both. The atmosphere was foggy, very thick and humid.

The Temple was truly an art. The architecture was truly wonderful and astounding. There were many forms of shrubbery, and all types of vegetation.

However, Link sensed something was wrong- he could feel it in the warm air. His body was tense, his arms covered in goosebumps.

Meanwhile, Regina was looking for any way further into the Temple. Maybe a door, a wall to climb. She did not sense anything wrong, she just wanted to find the sage quickly.

Regina had noticed Link was concerned about something.

"Link, are you okay?"

Link stood still, very silent.

"This isn't safe. We have to get out of this room."

Regina gave a slight laugh.

"Really? This room seems very peaceful to me. I'm sure there's nothing wrong at all."

 _Whatever._

"Regina? Do you still have that book with you?" He asked.

"This one?" Regina pulled an old, green book out of her bag.

The book Link had gave her earlier. Something about Hero of Twilight. He felt as if he needed to read it quickly.

"Can I-"

Link paused. He saw a shadow of a hand waving over her. What was that? He couldn't take any risk.

"Regina, Walk away slowly."

Regina gave a look of confusion.

"Why?" She asked. "Are you pulling a trick?"

"I'm serious."

"Link, I have no time for a practical joke." She started waving her hands. "See, nothing wrong at-"

The shadow snatched her in a blink of an eye, in the midst of her words.

Regina released a terrifying scream.

"AH!" She screamed. "Let me go!"

Regina struggled to free herself. Link ran towards her, in an attempt to rescue her.

Link unsheathed his sword. He prepared to attack the thing, whatever it was.

Link sliced the hand, and it let out an ear- piercing scream. Regina was let go, falling to the ground, very hard. The shadow then dissapeared into the air.

Regina was lying on the ground, dazed and temporarily paralyzed. Link scurried towards her, seeing if she was okay, and not injured.

"Regina, are you hurt?"

She sat up.

"I don't believe so." She replied.

Link offered her his hand, and she grabbed it, pulling herself up.

Link looked at her arm, it was bruised. Regina seemed to notice it as well.

"Don't worry about that," She said. "It was my fault for not listening to you. Could you sense the creature?" She asked.

It seemed weird, but Link did sense danger. He always had sensed danger, ever when those soldiers who came in the midst of the eve.

"I think I sensed it," he replied.

Regina giggled.

"Well, I wish I had you when the castle was attacked."

Link nodded.

"Shouldn't we be finding the sage or something?" He asked.

"Oh my. I forgot." She replied.

"Well that's why we are here." He teased.

"Okay, I seem stupid right now. Lets just get out of this room and find a map or something."

"Why would there be a map here?"

"You never know. Lets just find the sage."

Link searched the room, and finally found a door hidden behind layers of moss.

"Regina, over here."

She ran towards him, and saw the door.

"What are you waiting for? Lets go in."

Link and Regina went through the door, into another room. The new room was enormous. It was exposed to the sun, and filled with many plants of all sorts.

Regina ran to the other side of the room. She had found another door, but it was very huge.

"Link, over here." She called for him.

He came towards her.

She pointed at the door.

"See that mark on the door?" She asked.

He saw what she was talking about.

"That's the seal of the forest sage. She has to be behind these doors."

"If that's what you think, then we'll check it out."

Without hesitation, Regina pushed the door open, with his help. The new room was darker, and made out of stone. When the entered, the door locked behind them.

 _That doesn't seem okay,_ Link thought.

"Hello?" Regina called.

No response.

Once again, Link sensed something wrong. This time, it seemed worse.

"Regina, stay back."

She was confused.

"Do you sense anything?" she asked.

He nodded slowly.

Link searched, and looked at the ceiling. He saw the shadow again.

Link picked up a rock from the ground, and threw it at the creature. Luckily, he had struck it perfectly.

A terrible scream was released from the creature. Regina jumped at the sound.

The creature fell to the ground, revealing its horrifying features.

The monster had one, huge crimson eye. It had four arms, two with claws, and a green body.

Regina ran to the door, but it was locked. Both of them were trapped.

"Link, we have no choice." She said.

Link sighed.

"Just be careful." he told her.

Link unsheathed his sword, and charged at the creature.

He sliced and chopped, trying to kill it. The creature was screaming, but didn't seem to wear down.

His stamina was running out, nothing seemed to be helping. Meanwhile, Regina was finding ways to help. She picked up rocks and threw them. That didn't help either.

She suddenly had an idea.

"Link! They eye!"

''What about the eye?" He said.

Regina snatched the sword out of his hand.

"Regina, wait-"

She stabbed the monster in the eye.

It fell to the ground, weakened in pain.

"They eye is the weakpoint. Then you can attack it all you want. Trust me." She said.

She handed the sword back to him. Link was surprised at her skill with a blade.

"How did you do that?" He asked.

"Swordsmanship is my hobby," she replied.

Link took the sword and finished the attack. The monster groaned loudly in pain. It was weak.

Following her advice, he aimed for the eye, and pierced it hard. The monster was practicality weak.

The monster fell, defeated. It screamed once more, and the body melted away, revealing a small girl, with green, shiny hair.

"The sage." Regina gasped. "That's her!"


	7. Chapter Seven (yAs brearh of The WilD)

Regina ran to the girl, rubbing her.

"Hello?"

The girl awakened, revealing her green keen eyes.

"Thank you,'' the girl said.

Regina helped her up.

"What happened to you? Weren't you supposed to be awakened?" Regina asked her.

The girl looked down.

"I was. Things just happened. How do you know about the sages?"

"The goddesses sent us both."

Both girls turned around to find Link speaking.

"The chosen hero..." The sage whispered.

Link nodded.

" I need to talk to you both, " she said. "I have a message for you, sent by goddesses."

Regina and Link were suddenly brought into some sort of realm. They were standing on a floating platform, surrounded by glittering waterfalls.

"This is the Chamber of Sages,'' the girl said. "Many centruies ago, it was last used for another hero. I gave him power to help defeat the Gerudian king. Now that the hero is reborn, I can lend my power to you when you really need it."

"To defeat the prince?" Link asked.

"Yes. His intentions are not so good..."

"How so?" Link asked.

"I was supposed to be awakened by you, the hero. However, he found me first. When he revived me, he asked for my power. I refused, knowing he was not the chosen hero, and would use it for his own will. When I told him no, he cursed me into the creature you saw, making me turn against you. He said that the hero would have to fight me, and would probably die in the process trying to defeat the monster I was. However, you proved him wrong, and know he shall know soon you can take any challenge thrown into your path. If you had failed, he would have found the others and cursed them. You can only awaken them before he can."

"We will try our best," Link said.

"That's the spirit. Without our power, darkness won't be driven out of him, and the land. This power can repel dark forces, and you will need all of the sages power to defeat him."

"Like the hero of time,'' Regina recalled.

"Exactly. In fact, I was his friend..."

The sage dazed off into thought.

"Hello?" Regina asked. The sage snapped out of her daydream.

"Sorry. My name is Saria, by the way. I forgot to introduce myself. How rude of me."

"Don't worry about it. We're just glad we have your assistance,'' Regina told her.

"It's an honor," said Saria. "It feels good to be revived, so many thought we, the ancient seven sages had died. We just put ourselves in a state of sleep after our destiny was completed. Our souls were in the heavens, but we were not dead. We would be revived when Hyrule was in despair once more, but Henrad found me..."

She continued.

''Now I shall give you a token of appreciation, for saving me, of course."

Saria took a green medallion out of her pocket, and handed it to Link.

"This is my gift of thanks. It once belonged to the hero I helped. It will help strengthen you on your journey to be a hero. It holds power. Never loose it."

Link smiled.

"I will return you both to the outside world,'' said Saria.

"Wait, I have one question." Link said.

"Yes?"

"How was the hero of time like?" He asked.

Saria smiled.

"He was a sweet boy, my best friend. He was bullied, but I did not care if he had a fairy. When he left me, It was very sad, but he had to do his duty, and I had to stay a sage. I then saw him after he awakened me for the first time, but I never saw him again after that day..."

A tear slipped from her eye.

"You look exactly like him. Not just a spirit reborn, but looks as well. You also have the same persona, same attitude and the same gestures. You're like his twin. I feel like it's him again, staring into my face. It's nice to see him again.."

Link hugged her. He felt bad for Saria. Her best friend practically had to leave her, as she had to fulfill her destiny as a sage. That was pretty depressing.

"Even it feels as if I'm hugging him..."

Link finally let go. He had to get to the others.

"I'll take you home. Where do you Live?" Saria asked.

"Ordon village.'' Regina said.

"Okay, I will transfer both of you there. Until then, goodbye, please find the others. I don't want to stay alone here forever."

"I'll hurry," Link Promised.

Link and Regina were suddenly in front of the village entrance. It was already dusk, but it felt like they were there for days...

"Link!'' Regina said. "The mayor must be worried sick!"

Link forgot about him. With both of them gone, he must've been very concerned.

They both ran back to the Mayor's house, seeing if he was okay.

The mayor was found sitting on his chair, frustrated.

When he saw them, he seemed relieved.

"My goodness, where were you both?" he asked. "I almost had a heart attack!"

"I'm sorry,'' Link said.

"We went to the deep forest,'' Regina said.

"That's dangerous! We don't know what's out there! You could've been hurt."

"I assure you nothing bad is there," Link said. "We handled it."

"So you did encounter things?" He asked.

"Yes, but it's alright now,'' Regina stated.

The mayor stared at them both.

"Don't ever do that again. There's a reason why the gates are locked."

"Sorry, sir.'' Link said.

"Okay,'' said the mayor. "I imagine you both are famished. Sit down at the table while I make you supper."

Regina and Link did as they were told. Their legs could use rest.

The Mayor went into the kitchen.

Link wondered how he would tell the Mayor that he needed to go outside the village. Would he take it well? He didn't know if he would have to tell that he was a chosen hero. He had to save Hyrule from some rebellious prince who wanted to awaken some old dark lord. Who was that anyway?

"Who do you think the prince is trying to awaken?" Link asked Regina.

She bit her lip.

"I read a few history books. My guess is Ganondorf. Even though he reached demise, there is a way to revive him. Ganondorf had always wanted to rule Hyrule, to make it into a festival of darkness. Henrad intends to do that, but doesn't know how. So he wants to revive Ganon and rule with him. That's just my guess."

"Well, it seems like that could be it,'' Link said. "You read books often?"

"I guess you can tell very well,'' Regina chuckled.

At that moment, the mayor brought in two bowls of broth. He set them down, and sat with them. Link and Regina ate in silence, so the mayor wouldn't know that they had forgiven each other.

When they finished, the mayor cleaned the table and assigned them roles.

"Link, go to your home and watch your grandmother. Sleep well. Regina, you can sleep here once more, but I can't keep you here forever."

"I understand,'' She said.

Link left the home, but Regina had followed him out.

"You have a grandmother?" She asked.

Link turned around.

"I do. Would you like to meet her?" he asked.

"I suppose, for a bit before the mayor rants again."

She followed Link into his home. She noticed the bakery was connected to it.

"You bake?" She asked.

"Every single day," he muttered.

"How amazing.''

 _Amazing? She didn't understand that it was tiring._

Link escorted Regina into his house, with the smell of bread filling their sense of smell. Who was baking? He ran into the kitchen, to see if it was just his mind. His grandma was there, waiting for bread to be fully baked.

"Grandma?"

She turned around, and her face filled with excitement.

"Link, you returned!'' She embraced him with a hug.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better. I decided to bake, just for fun. It should be ready. Sit down, I'll cut it for you."

She noticed Regina, who was standing behind him.

"Who is she?" Grandma asked.

"Oh, how rude of me to not introduce myself. I'm Regina."

"What a beautiful name. Sit down child, Enjoy some bread."

She sat next to Link.

"When did you arrive?" Grandma asked.

"Yesterday. I was running and your grandson mistaken me for a thief. But it's all sorted now."

"How funny. Link can be stubborn sometimes."

"Grandma!" he exclaimed. She always would talk about him like that. It vexed him sometimes.

"It's the truth, sweetie."

Regina giggled: Link rolled his eyes.

After they ate, Link escorted Regina out of his house.

"I shall see you tomorrow, then. Hopefully we can reach our next destination soon." Regina said.

"I have to tell my grandma, then we can leave. But hopefully we will. Sleep well just in case. Okay?"

She nodded.

"I shall. Farewell, see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, to you." he waved her a goodbye.

He watched her disappear into the evening.

Link slowly dragged himself inside. He had to tell his grandma about his destiny.

Grandma was knitting a scarf on her rocking chair.

"Grandma, I have to tell you something."

"Yes, my dear?"

"I have to leave Ordon tomorrow."

She stopped knitting, and looked at him.

"Why?" she asked. "I don't understand."

"Grandma, today I found out something amazing. And I have to go fulfill it outside of Ordon."

"How amazing? Why would you leave me? I'll be alone, an old suffering hag. You can't just leave your people. Don't be selfish!" She was very upset.

He sighed. ''I have to serve my people. I have to save Ruby and Cherry. I have to save Hyrule and the princess. Grandma, I have a destiny to fulfill. I have people to save."

"Son, you don't- "

Link cut her off.

"Grandma, I've been chosen by the gods and goddesses. I'm a reborn spirit. I'm the reborn chosen hero, the hero in green, the hero of time."

She gasped, and her faded eyes widened. Her face was full of confusion and disbelief. She flared up.

"Are you serious? There is no way. You speak lies to me. You just want to abandon me. You don't want to deal with me. How could you?"

"I don't-"

"Enough excuses! Get out of my presence! Get away from my house. You are lying! There has never been a chosen hero! Only in fairytales they exist!"

"Grandma, I would never lie about anything serious." Link insisted.

"After all I've done, you give me excuses. You don't love me! You want me gone. You don't care about me. Now I command you to leave!'' she yelled.

Link gulped, and nodded. He turned away and bolted out of the house, with stinging eyes. Why did she reject the fact? Maybe it was just her emotions. Or maybe it was all his fault.

Link stopped running and fell to his knees. He sat, grasping his knees close to his body, and leaned his back onto a tree. Putting his head down, he sobbed, Grandma had mistakened him and overreacted. Would she ever believe him? He just wept and wept, crying until he would fall asleep, away from the reality of the world, away from the pain of misunderstanding, the pain of rejection and family. He just wept and wept.


	8. Chapter Eight

"Link?"

Someone was shaking him awake, but he refused to open his eyes.

"Link! We have to leave today!''

She shook him harder.

"LINK!"

Link finally lifted his head. Regina was there.

"Why in hell are you sleeping here?"

Oops.

"Nothing. Just felt like it." He lied.

"Funny. Are you okay?"

"I told you, I'm fine."

She inspected him, looking at every part at him, until their eyes met. She locked their gaze, noticing his sadness.

"Link, were you crying?"

"I'm a man!"

She laughed.

"Link, seriously. If you cried and slept out here, then something is wrong."

"You guessed it,'' was all Link said.

Regina helped him up.

"Tell me about it,'' She said.

"It's nothing, really I'm okay." Link insisted.

"For the love of God, Link. Just tell me if you're fine! What's wrong?"

Link finally gave in, and told her of the events last night.

"My Grandma didn't believe me. The hero was only in fairytales to her. She kicked me out of the house and accused me of wanting to leave her. She thinks I hate her. She doesn't want to speak with me..."

It was a feeling all to familiar to her...

When Regina calmly looked into his eyes, they seemed to comfort him.

"Link..." She said, softly. "I'm so sorry... I didn't think she would react like that."

Link sighed.

"Me either. I feel like she misunderstood me. Have you ever felt that way?"

"Yes, in fact as recent as two days ago, I was misunderstood. " Regina replied.

Link rolled his eyes.

"Sorry about that. But still, it just hurts me. She doesn't think I am the hero..."

Link looked down, so Regina wouldn't see tears forming in his eyes.

Regina touched his arm.

"Sometimes, family will hurt us, Link. Even if they don't mean to. Give her time. She lost her granddaughter. And she doesn't want to lose you either. Maybe she just took it differently and her words ended up like a knife in the heart. I'm sure she didn't mean a word. Right now, give her time to process all this."

Link nodded. Hopefully she would talk to him once more...

"On the brighter side," said Regina. "I have something for you. Wait here!"

She ran inside the Mayor's house. What

exactly did she have for him? Probably a book.

She ran outside, holding something behind her back.

"Last night thought, 'What's a swordsman without a good shield?'. So I found some Rupees and bought you this from the Ordon bazaar."

She presented him with a gorgeous, hand- crafted shield. It was silver, and the design and shape suited him.

Link took it happily. This certainly made him feel better, and she was very thoughtful of him.

"Thank you for being so thoughtful. It's so beautiful."

She smiled.

"I thought you would like it."

Link tried it out, in different poses, then put it away on his back.

"Since it is almost ten in the morning, maybe we should tell the mayor about our journey."

Link nodded in agreement.

"Hopefully, he won't yell at us." Link joked.

Regina giggled. "I'm sure he won't. After all, we're gonna save his daughter."

Link and Regina dashed inside the house of the Mayor, searching for him. He was found in his office, playing with his quill pen.

"Hello,'' the mayor greeted.

"May we please speak?" said Link.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

Link explained the events of yesterday at the temple, and his quest to save Hyrule and the lost girls.

"So, if this is true, what are you waiting for? Hurry and save my daughter. I'll give you supplies you need."

"Thank you sir,'' Link said.

"No problem. Let me take you to the ranch, I shall give you some noble steed."

When at the ranch, the farmer offered them two horses. Link chose a brown horse with a white main and tail, with the name Epona. Regina was stuck with a stunning black horse called Equestris.

The mayor provided them both with some food. He gave Regina some new clothes: trousers, boots, a blue blouse.

By noon, Link and Regina were almost ready to depart into Hyrule. They were lined up on the edge of the village.

"Stay safe, Link." The mayor said as he mounted Epona.

"I shall." Link responded.

Regina mounted onto her horse, but fell down.

"You okay?" The mayor chuckled.

Link laughed.

Regina rolled her eyes and stood back up. She mounted her horse carefully and was able to stay on it.

Link glanced at Regina, and she nodded, signaling that it was time to leave. They were off, into the fields of Hyrule.

Once in the fields, Regina stopped her horse and looked around. Link waited, he knew she was looking for their next destination. He hoped she would find the place.

"Regina?"

"Wait."

She looked around, and finally her eyes lit when she spotted something.

"See that mountain?" she asked.

"Yes."

"That's where the next sage lies. Death Mountain, I believe. The village there is where we're heading."

They both headed there, following the mountain. It was further than it seemed.

As they were nearing, Regina looked behind herself, and suddenly stopped her horse.

"Regina, what's wrong?"

She pointed north. It was the castle in the distance, but the area was very dark. The castle seemed dismantled as well.

"The castle is in darkness, you can see the damage of the fire and explosion. That is where Henrad stays now."

She quickly glanced away from the castle.

"Let's go on now, "Regina sighed.

Link nodded.

Link followed her towards the mountain, finally reaching the mountain village. There was a sign at the entrance.

"Kakariko?" Link tried pronouncing the name.

"I guess that's close enough. Let's go."

Link and Regina entered the village.

The village had many homes, shops, and a windmill. There was lots of grass, and cuccos practically roamed and ruled the place.

Regina and Link dismounted their horses and secured them to a fence.

Regina glanced around, looking for any entrance to the mountain. The entrance was hidden, and they figured that they would need help finding it.

"Link," Regina said. "We have to ask someone to help."

He nodded.

"There has to be someone who knows." Link said.

"Link, I'm sure the whole village knows where it is."

 _Shut up._

They walked around, looking for someone that ccould help. There were bazaars, potion shops, game arenas, and a mini study. No one seemed to help.

"Have we tried all the houses?" Regina asked.

"I think so. No one is answering us."

Link once again knocked on the houses, finally, one had opened.

A young lady opened the door.

"Hello?" the girl asked.

Regina spoke up.

"Hello, we're looking for the Death Mountain entrance. Do you by any chance know where it is?"

The girl furrowed her brow.

"I do, in fact. Unfortunately, the gates to the entry are closed today for some reason. They should be open again tomorrow."

Link sighed. More time to be wasted.

"Thank you, Miss. For later reference, where is the entrance?" he asked.

"Oh, it's next to the bowling arena. You should spot it easily." she explained.

"Thank you,'' he said, and she shut the door close.

Regina looked at him.

"What do we do now?" she sighed.

"I guess we just do nothing, we have to wait."

"How about let's find something to do?"

"I guess. Maybe we can go to that bowling place?"

Regina sighed.

"It's better than not doing anything."

The bowling arena was on higher level ground, and the entrance was there. The lady was right, since the gates were locked. The arena seemed very huge, it seemed great.

Link and Regina entered the arena. It smelled of beer and gunpowder. _How foul._

The man at the front desk was chewing his fingers, and the arena was mostly empty. Link approached the desk, waving at the man to get his attention.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hello there." the man jumped. "Welcome to Tafton's Bombchu bowling arena, please play safe, yada-yada. How many games will you play? One round has six Bombchus, two rounds with twelve, you get the point."

"How much is one round?" Regina questioned.

"Twelve rupees."

Regina checked her satchel, and found it with not a single rupee.

"I don't have money," she told Link.

Link checked his pouch. It had thirteen rupees. Now that, was living on the edge.

He handed the man his money.

"One round? Okay. If you hit all five targets, you win the prize of the day. Today we are giving out a bow and quiver, 100 rupees, and a mini sword. You have five shots to win. Good luck, take that lane all the way to the right."

The man handed Link the Bombchus. Link wasn't sure if he wanted to play, so he gave them to Regina. She silently thanked him.

The targets were widespread, so she knew skill would have to be used. The first target was moving side to side. She aimed the Bombchu, and released it on time. The first target was hit. Link applauded her.

The next three came easily for her. They moved in various directions, making it easy for her to aim the Bombchus.

She had 2 Bombchus left, and the last target. However, the last one was moving in spirals, very quickly. Regina focused all she could, and released a bomb. It had missed.

"One more shot!" the man yelled.

Regina looked to Link for help.

"Link, do you think you can hit it?"

Link debated in his mind, but decided to try. He took the last Bombchu. He carefully centered and aimed it. He waited, timing when it could impact. He then placed the bomb on his head.

 _Three... Two... One_...

He released the Bombchu. He watched it squirm around, heading for the target, and then...

 **BAM**! The bomb hit the last target.

Regina gave him a cheer.

Link claimed the prize, and handed it to Regina. However, he kept the money.

With Regina equipped with a new weapon, they left the arena.

It was about sixteen o'clock, and the sun was just setting. Regina opened her satchel and gave Link food from the Mayor. They ate while walking around.

"The sun is truly wonderful." Regina exclaimed.

"It is."

The sunset reminded him of his last talk with Cherry. He missed her dearly.

Link became deep into thought about her until Regina was shaking him once more.

"Link! Pay attention!"

"What?" He groaned.

She pointed in at the sky.

"There's a storm coming," she said softly.

Link examined what she saw, and stayed still for a moment. After a while, he heard the thundering of feet, and the chant of men. It was all too familiar...

"Regina, we have to hide."

"Why?" she asked.

Link took her hand and ran to a safe place, behind huge boxes to hide.

Even though she was puzzled, Link knew that they were coming for this village.

The rebels were headed for Kakariko.


	9. Chapter Nine

Link peeked over the boxes, and saw the men enter the village. Regina was still confused.

"Link," she whispered. "Tell me why we're hiding."

Link made contact with her and said, "These are the rebels, Henrad's servants. They took my best friend."

"Why are they here?"

He shrugged. "Well, let's see." he said.

Link and Regina watched the rebels enter the village. The leader dismounted It's horse. It wore a cloak covering it's face.

Villagers came out of their houses, seeing why rebels were in their village. Many whispered to each other, seemingly confused.

The girl who helped them earlier stepped up to the leader of rebels.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"We're only here to look for someone, " it replied. "If you have her, then your village will be just fine."

The girl clenched her fist. She seemed frustrated.

"What would my village have items that belong to you? I don't even know who you are, so I can't give you a thing."

The leader removed their cloak, revealing a woman's face. She had short midnight hair, with one side of long bangs covering her right eye. She was also very pale and freckled.

"You should know me, or us, the rebels from the recent war. We are back, and now we want the princess you're hiding from us."

"Clarisse?" Regina whispered.

"What?" Link asked.

"I think that's Clarisse, The Princess' main adviser, and her best friend. Why would she turn against her? It's all too confusing."

 _If she's her best friend, it doesn't make sense that she would turn against her_ , Link thought. _She must be under some spell?_

The village girl continued.

"The princess? We don't know what you're- "

"Nonsense!" Clarisse justified. "I know she's here. Where is she?"

The girl stayed silent. No villager said a word.

"Answer me!'' She demanded.

Silence.

"Well," said Clarisse, "if you won't give me Zelda, then I'll have to teach you Hylians a lesson. This is only a warning. When I come back, she must be handed over to me, or else, your village will suffer tormenting pain!"

Clarisse raised her staff, and the cloud of darkness surrounded the village. The dark cloud twisted and gnarled, forcing very powerful winds onto the village. Clarisse and her knights were departing the village. Meanwhile, the cloud continued to swirl, and headed towards the ground. Treacherous winds almost knocked Regina very far, but Link grabbed her arm, preventing her from being blown away.

The funnel was slowly coming towards the ground. Villagers scurried into their homes, trying to stay safe from the fierce twister. Link and Regina had nowhere to go.

When the tornado hit the ground, hell broke loose. It traveled around, the wind picking up the roofs of houses. The wind kept strengthening by the second. Link and Regina struggled to keep control of themselves from the strong winds. The cone of wind was nearing them, sucking the boxes they hid behind.

"Regina,'' Link said. "Whatever you do, stay close to me."

She gave a nod.

The wind had torn up trees from the ground. Link noticed that Regina was holding his hand, but he didn't mind as of now. He had to move before they were blown away.

"Regina, Stay with me!" he commanded.

He pushed himself and stood up. Link helped Regina get to her feet. Link led her out of the range of the tornado. Regina struggled balancing herself in the force of the winds.

Link didn't know where to go, one side was a wall, the other with a massive tornado. He just tried to get as far away as possible.

However, it didn't seem to work. There was nowhere to run.

"It's nearing, Link!'' Regina yelled at him.

Link struggled to find a safe space while the vortex was only inches apart from them.

Regina could no longer hold on to Link, and her grip loosened from his hand.

She tried to steady herself, pushing herself towards Link.

Link outstretched his hand, trying to obtain her.

The tornado was right near them, engulfing Regina into the whirl.

"Link!"

He turned around to find her astray.

 _That's not good..._

Abruptly, Regina was spit out of the tornado, slamming into the facade of a house.

He spotted her, all battered up, attempting to stay distant from the gale. Link had to get her to refuge.

By now, the vortex was weakening, and moving another direction. Link barreled to the girl.

"Regina?''

She looked at him, with her aggrieved baffling eyes, that seemed to implore for help.

Link scooped her into his arms, and carried her away safely. The winds had lost its brutal force; the vortex went back up to the heavens, breaking apart.

Regina cried in pain; Link had nowhere to put her.

The villagers came out, one by one, after the events of the storm. Most houses lost rooves, some houses were completely demolished. The place looked like a warscene.

However, Regina seemed to be the only person injured.

"Can someone help me?" he bawled.

Most villagers looked upon them with pity, but with no offers to help. One raised their hand. It was an elderly woman.

"I can make her medicine,'' the woman offered.

"You can stay at my home," offered the lady who helped them earlier.

Link followed the girl into her home, while the elderly lady went to her shop to make a medicine.

He layed Regina on a bed. Her face was very pale, her body was frigid. She just kept yelping in agony, her back felt crushed.

The girl was making soup in her kitchen.

"What happened to her?" she asked.

"The tornado spit her against the walls of a house." Link explained.

"Holy..."

Link checked her temperature once more, her body was getting colder. Was that a bad sign?

 _Hopefully not, hopefully not._

Regina would awake, then fall back into unconsciousness. Her eyes seemed as if they were sinking.

"Link..." Regina groaned. "I feel like demise is approaching..."

"Regina, don't talk like that, you'll be fine," he assured her.

She gave him an effortless smile.

The girl handed Link a bowl of finished soup with a spoon.

"Regina, just try to eat this."

He spoonfed her, little by little. She seemed to take it in well at first. After a while, she started feeling worse, and the broth came back up. Now that was not a good sign of improvement.

Her breathing was slowing, her heartbeat decreasing. He was scared that the worst might happen. Her face was white, like as a ghost. Her body felt cold and limp. She was shivering, and taking fewer, shorter breaths..

Despite their rough start, he knew that she didn't deserve to die. Without her, his journey as a hero would be hopeless..

Thankfully, the old woman scurried into the house, with a glass bottle full of a red liquid medicine.

"Sorry I wasn't quick," she said. "Where is she?"

Link pointed to the cot where she lay.

The woman rushed up to her, touching her head. Then she touched Regina's shoulder.

"Please drink this, Young lady.''

She helped Regina sit up, and opened the bottle. Regina drank the potion, very slowly, but eventually it was all gone.

She let Regina down again, and covered her with a blanket.

"The medicine will make her exhausted," she said. "but she should feel much better by tomorrow."

"Thank you so much," Link said.

"No problem, young man. Take care of her."

The lady left the home quickly.

Link sat by Regina again, checking her temperature. Her body started to warm again, her breathing was coming back to normal. She would be okay, thank Hylia.

"Do you want some soup?" the girl asked.

Link turned around.

"I would love some, Miss. I'm famished."

" I shall serve, but my name is Marinette, by the way."

She let him sit at her table, and served him a bowl. Marinette sat down as well, but did not eat anything. There was only silence at the table for a few moments.

"Is she your sister?" Marinette asked, pointing at Regina.

"No,'' Link said. "Just a friend of mine."

"Ah. Must be a good friend of yours. Good thing she'll be alright."

"Yeah, thankfully she will."

Link gazed upon Regina. She was asleep, sleeping very peacefully. Poor girl. She must've been in horrible pain. He wished to know how she was.

"It's 20:30,'' Marinette said. "She'll probably sleeping the whole night. I have books in my husband's study, if you wish to read before you sleep. There's a cot in there for you to rest."

"Where's your husband?" he asked.

She sighed. "He had to go down to the ranch to buy eggs and milk. He should be back tomorrow, hopefully. Adrien is pretty good at coming back quickly."

"Maybe I'll meet him."

"Maybe indeed. I'm going to my room, I have a long day ahead of me. If you need anything, knock on my door. I'm in the room across from yours."

"Okay, sleep well."

"Thank you."

Marinette fled to her room.

Link checked on Regina once more, then decided to go into the study to sleep. He was so exhausted from these events.

He dragged himself into the study. There were many books, so Link chose a random one off of the shelf.

It was called 'The Golden Goddesses' . He decided to read it anyway despite the boring title, and plopped himself onto the bed.

Link made himself comfortable, and opened the book.

' _Long before the creation of humanity, the three golden goddesses thrived in the heavens. They were sisters, and the contributors to the Triforce. Din, goddess of...'_

Link closed the book, set it down, and blew his candle out. He was too tired to read, he would read the book later. It seemed boring anyway. He wasn't a history book fan.

Link closed his eyes, turned sideways, and slowly fell into sleep...

 **A/N**

 **HEYAA BOIS IT ME DAT BOI AND MY FIRST AUTHOR'S NOTE BC WHY NOT**

 **Anyway, thank you to those who followed and loved my story, it means so much to me, especially since my writing skills are crap. If the story feels choppy and confusing, I** **apologize.**

 **I feel like this story is gonna be longer than my Youtube history aHhh**

 ** _I got a review that said everything seemed not smooth, questioning the motivation of the monster earlier before the first temple. All I can give you without any spoilers is that Regina knows very well who he is, and the rebels/Henrad. She hates talking about them, so later she will explain when her relationship with Link gets stronger. It makes her uncomfortable to talk about it ahahahaha_**

 **and I'm sorry for not publishing in a while ooPs I cri**

 ** _CHECK MY BIO FOR UPDATES!_**

 ** _Don't forget to Like and Review! I need to improve hahahaha_**

 **\- Adina Rossi, aka le meme goddess**

 **P.S: Did you notice the Miraculous Ladybug reference in this chapter? If you did CONGRATS MY FELLER MIRACULER**

 **If not, that's okay, I still love you.**

 **Bug out y'all**


	10. Chapter Ten

It was dawn, the sun had managed to peek through the window and hit Link's eye. How it vexed him so much.

Thanks to the sun, he was unable to fall back asleep, so he was compelled to crawl out from his covers and stand to his feet. Link was still a bit weary from the day before, so his vision was a teeny bit blurry.

Today was the day he and Regina would find the second sage, but he wasn't sure if she would be strong enough after yesterday. That was alright with him, since she practically almost died.

Link trudged out of the study to check on Regina, to see if she made any progress to feel better. He made his way down the corridor and foyer, and into the room where she was sleeping.

When he arrived, she was not asleep on the bed next to the dining room. Instead, she sat on the table alone, fiddling with her long, brown, messy hair. Her left leg was shaking, and she was staring at the facade of the home.

"Hello?" Link said.

Regina snapped out of her thoughts, jumping in her seat and sharply turning her head towards him.

Her face was not as pale as before, and her eyes were bright and full of life again.

"Hey." she softly croaked.

Link came over to her and sat on the chair next to her. She scooted over to make room for him.

"How are you feeling?" he questioned.

She stayed silent for a while.

"I feel much better, but I still feel a bit tired."

She continued to play with her hair, making a braid, and taking it apart. To Link, she seem intrigued.

"And your back?"

"It feels, uh, slightly numb."

She straightened herself upward, pushing her arms against the table.

Link glanced at the clock. It read: 8:34 A.M. It was way too early for him.

Glancing back at Regina, she was looking at the painting on the wall, which was a portrait of Marinette's family.

"I wish I had a complete family..." Regina muttered under her weakened breath.

The front door suddenly opened, a tall blonde man with green eyes walked in, carrying brown paper bags.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Who are you?" asked Link.

"I live here."

 _Oh really._

" You aren't squatters, are you?"

Link assumed that must've been Marinette's husband, Adrien.

"We aren't, sir," Regina croaked.

"You're wife is taking care of us." said Link.

Adrien's facial expression changed.

"What happened? I see that the village is completley destroyed, what's wrong?"

"A tornado," Regina coughed.

"That's strange. Never heard of such a thing."

Adrien set the bags down on the countertop.

"Is she asleep?" he asked.

Link nodded.

"I've should've known. She always wakes up late."

Adrien left the room.

Regina put he head down against the table, sighing. Link assumed that they wouldn't be able to climb the mountain today. That would bring them behind, but it was for the best reason.

"Do you ever wish you never existed?" Regina asked, randomly.

Okay?

"Why do you ask?" Link said, confused.

Regina looked down.

"I don't know, I guess I feel like everything is my fault. I dragged you into this mess, I had to get injured and made this lady take care of me. Just if I was never alive, no problems would be created. I just cause more problems..."

Link was about to reply when Marinette and Adrien came into the room.

"How are you?" Marinette asked Regina, feeling her forehead.

"I feel better, thank you for your kindness."

"Good to hear that. Adrien, sweetie, did you buy our milk and eggs?"

Adrien nodded.

'Yes, it's on the counter."

Marinette looked into the paper bags.

"Are these croissants?"

Adrien laughed.

"Yes, I had to get them."

Marinette rolled her eyes.

"Do you want any? Link? Regina?"

"Yes please, " said Link.

Regina nodded her head slowly.

Adrien and Marinette sat on the table with them, passing out plates and serving the pastries. Adrien stuffed croissants in his face. Link examined it, feeling the texture and sponginess. Regina ate it very slowly, ripping it into a small piece, then eating it.

"So Link, why do you want to go to death mountain again?" Marinette asked.

"Oh, both of us are looking for something there." he replied, trying not to say anything about sages.

"Goron city? Those creatures up there never let you enter." Marinette told him.

"Not exactly," Link said. "We wanted to find a person who lives there."

Marinette raised her eyebrows.

"I never heard of such a thing, but I guess it is possible."

"We were gonna go today, but maybe tomorrow instead because of Regina's state." Link said.

"Wait, what?" Regina said. "You don't have to delay the journey because of me."

"I don't want you to be even more hurt." Link argued.

"Link, I feel fine. You know that we have to find him immediately." She argued.

"You still might be in an unstable condition. It won't be safe."

"Link, I'm completely fine!"

"You can't be!"

"Link, we have NO time! We have to hurry!"

"You're hurt!"

"How do you know? Do you really know what's best for me? Do you really know how I feel?"

"Maybe I do!"

"Stop!" yelled Adrien. "Just go on the damned mountain. Both of you are acting childish."

Link sighed. Regina should have known better. Obviously, she still wasn't fully recovered.

"Fine then," Link muttered. "If that is what you wish..."

"That is what I wish," Regina sternly replied.

The presence of the room turned awkward. Regina folded her arms and glared at Link with despisal. She seemed upset.

After a few moments, Link got out of his chair. Regina stared at him coldly, with haughty eyes.

"I guess we'll have to get on our way now," Said Link. "Thank you for your kindness."

Regina stood up slowly.

"No problem," Marinette replied.

Adrien and Marinette escorted Link and Regina to the front door.

"I bid you farewell, and good luck," Marinette told them.

"Thank you," Link said.

"Thanks..." Regina said silently.

The door closed behind them.

Link looked around, he knew the bowling alley was next to the entrance. Unfortunately, he forgot where it was.

"Do you remember where the Death Mountain gate is?" he asked Regina.

She rolled her eyes.

"You should know where it is, since you know **_obviously_** what's best for me and everything else," She spat. "Use your 'god given knowledge' and 'fatherly advice' to figure your problem out yourself."

Regina turned away from him, arms crossed.

Link just didn't even bother to answer her, and just made his way to find it himself. Regina followed behind him.

Link wandered around the demolished village, for a while until finally finding the alley, which the roof had been taken off of.

He stared at the mountain in front of him. It was a huge volcano, with a cloud ring surrounding the top. There was steam rising from it, and lakes of lava could be seen.

 _This looks appealing..._

He followed the dirt path, despite the fact he had no clue where to go. Where would the sage be? _Probably hidden in lava..._ Regina wouldn't even bother to help.

Link just kept walking, following the bland path. Regina was close behind him, she still seemed upset.

After what seemed like hours of walking and pointless thoughts, Link spotted a ridge off the nountain, with strange rock-like creatures standing. They seemed like they were guarding something? Great. If they hated humans, how would they ever get past them?

"This is great..." he mumbled

"You could just sneak around them, it isn't that hard," Regina said.

"I was thinking about that, thank you. If it isn't that hard, why don't you help find a way around them?"

She scolded him with her haughty, blue eyes.

"Fine," she said. "If you really do insist, since you can't even find a way around."

She made her way in front of him. Link just stared sternly at her, completley annoyed.

"Look, Link. You see that boulder?"

She pointed straight ahead.

Link nodded.

"If we reach there, we can walk around the ridge without being seen. To get there, we have to walk silently and not make any sound of any sort. Walk silently to that dead bush, hide and watch to make sure you don't get seen. Then behind that bare tree, and then straight to the boulder. Got it?"

"Seems easy," Link hastily said.

"I don't have time for sarcasm, Link."

"And you aren't being sarcastic?"

She sighed.

"Whatever, Link. Just follow my lead."

He followed her, to the bush, very silently. The things only looked straight ahead, it took forever for them to look another direction. Once they did, they hid behind the tree, then proceeded finally to reach the boulder. It took forever, but they couldn't get caught.

"See?" Regina rejoiced. "That was so simple. So simple."

Before long, after those words came out of her mouth, the boulder started shaking. The boulder unfolded itself, revealing itself as a rock thing.

 _Great. Just great._.

"Good job, Regina! We got far."

"Hey," she said. "I didn't know. Don't blame me-"

"Intruders!" The thing yelled. "Hylians! Initiate arrest!"

Before they knew, flocks of those rocks flew out from everywhere, surrounding them. Great. They were trapped.

"Hylians aren't welcome here," said one rock. "We will have to punish you for violating us. Arrest them!"

Link and Regina were back to back. Link would've pulled his blade, but he saw no point in doing so, rocks wouldn't be injured by it.

The creatures tied their hands with rope, and they brought them into a dungeon cell.

The rocks threw them into the cell and violently slammed the door closed. The door was then locked.

"Good job, Regina." Link spat.

"Excuse me?" she said. "How is this my fault?"

"You lead us there to that rock."

"How was I supposed to know?"

"You should've known!" he angrily said.

"Stop!" Regina yelled.

There was a silence between them. Regina turned away from him.

"Why is everything constantly my fault? Am I supposed to take responsibility for everything? Why does everyone automatically think it's my fault? For a hero such as you, I would expect you to act differently. But I guess you know better. I guess I really am just a failure!"

Regina panted heavily, her eyes flooding with tears. She turned back towards him.

"Why can't I be normal?" she asked. "I just cause everything to go wrong. All my problems are my fault! Why can't I do anything?"

Link looked at the cracked floor. He didn't know what to do. He felt like a jerk.

Regina faced the corner of the wall, bursting into tears, whimpering. She covered her eyes with her hands.

"Why did they die because of me? Why is everyone's problems my fault? Why can't I control myself?"

Regina clenched her fist.

"Why can't I function? What's wrong with me?"


	11. Chapter Eleven

Link sat in the uncomfortable cot, staring at the grey wall. It had been several long hours since the fight. It was getting very dark, and he couldn't even try to sleep. His mind wouldn't let him.

All he could do is stare blankly at the damn wall.

Regina was sitting on the floor, facing the corner of the wall. Her knees were close to her chest, her arms hugged her legs. Her head was down in her knees. Her body trembling.

Link felt like a jerk. How long would she be mad at him? They barely knew each other, and Link just gave her more reasons to hate him. He had also made her cry.

" _Why can't I do anything right? Why did they die because of me?"_

 _"Why is everything my fault?"_

 _"I guess I really am just a failure!"_

 _"What's wrong with me?"_

Regina's words went around relentlessly in his head. Yes, he may have blamed her for something that she couldn't control or do, but he wondered why did she say those things.

Link remembered what she said earlier in the day, about her family. She mentioned that they died. Link also remembered when she blamed their death on herself.

 _It couldn't have been her fault, how did this ideology even get inside her mind?_

 _What's her mystery?_ _What's inside that mind?_

Link did want to know. It just seemed... very strange to him. What even happened to her?

Link quickly pushed the thoughts outside his mind. He didn't want to force it out if her. _Only if she wants to say it._..

Link looked down. He still felt like a jerk. He had to apologize.

 _Apologize. That's what'll I do._

Hopefully, she would take it well.

Link took a deep breath.

"Regina?" he called.

She didn't respond at all. She just kept staring at the corner, she didn't even bother to turn around.

Link decided it was best to come up to her. He jumped off the cot and approached her.

Link tapped her shoulder.

Regina turned around, still seeming frustrated, and didn't make eye contact with him.

"Can I please talk to you?" he asked.

"I could care less about what you have to say," she responded.

"Regina, just listen to me, Okay?" he said.

"I told you, I don't care," she said.

"Listen Regina, I'm sorry."

She looked at him.

"What are you sorry for? Yourself?"

"I'm sorry for being such a jerk, I'm sorry for blaming things on you that you weren't responsible for. I'm sorry I made you cry. I'm sorry."

Regina stood silent for a few minutes, until finally replying to him.

"I forgive you, I suppose, since you're probably the only person in my life who actually apologized to me."

Regina sighed.

"Just please for future reference," she said. "please don't try blaming things that aren't my fault on me. I'm tired of being blamed."

"I'll try," Link said.

"I hope you do try, you idiot."

Link snorted.

Link offered his hand, helping Regina up.

"Thank you," she said. "That floor was not very comfortable."

Link nodded in response.

He and Regina sat on the rocky cot.

"What do we do know?" she asked.

"I have no clue," Link replied. "I guess all we can do is wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Dunno."

"Thanks for the info, hero."

"My pleasure."

Regina fiddled with her hair, twisting it around.

Link tapped his foot on the floor. How long would they be stuck here?

He looked outside the barred window. The moon was out. It must've been Late evening.

"It looks late," Link said.

"Very late," Regina said. "I wish I could sleep, but I feel hyper."

"I don't feel sleepy either," Link said.

"Well, it looks like we're on the same boat."

She sighed.

"I guess we could talk." Regina suggested.

"About what?" Link asked.

"Dunno."

Link rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'll talk then," said Link. "What's your favorite color?"

"Seriously? You're asking that?" Regina said.

"Uh, it's a start!"

"Fine then. I like purple. All kinds, Lavender, plum, all of them."

"My favorite is blue."

"Just blue?" she asked.

"All blue colors are blue," Link said. "I don't give them fancy names."

"Of course you don't, you idiot."

"Is idiot your favorite insult?"

"Not my favorite, but it describes you the best."

"How so?"

"Because you're an idiot."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"I'm sure it boosts you with confidence and courage."

"Alright, we're moving on," Link said. "What's your favorite pastry?"

"Of course the baker side of you has to ask this question."

"Just answer it."

"I absolutely love cinnamon rolls."

"Those are pretty good."

"They're amazing," Regina said.

"I prefer macaroons."

"Those are delicious as well." Regina said.

"How do you know about so many pastries?" Link asked.

"The castle kitchen," Regina said. "The princess is always offered desserts."

Before the conversation could continue, The prison door was busted open. One of the Gorons was standing there.

"The governor wishes to see you both, in a public session."

"A public session?" Link said.

"Yes," the Goron said. "Whatever he says, goes. Now lets get moving, Hylians."

Link and Regina were escorted out of the dungeon. The Goron led them around, and Link was able to see the area they were in. By the looks of it, it must've been Goron City.

They finally arrived at their destination. There were Gorons surrounding them. That must've been part of the public session.

After a few minutes, all the Gorons stood quiet. One Goron stood on a platform and said, "All hail Governor Dardiko!"

The Gorons cheered around them.

An old-looking Goron came up to the platform.

"Greetings, my fellow Gorons. Tonight, we come in session to question these Hylians, who has trespassed into our land!"

All cheered once more.

"These Hylians were caught around Dodongo's Cliff, sneaking around our guards! Luckily, they were caught by a Goron, Harick, and they assumed he was a rock!"

The Gorons laughed.

"In order to protect our city and land, we must question these Hylians and make sure they get what they deserve!"

Applause came from everywhere. Link took a glance at Regina. They made eye-contact, and Regina mouthed to him, " _What do they have against Hylians?"_

Link shrugged.

"Now the session will begin. Harick, please come up to the platform, and tell us what happened earlier today."

The Goron who caught them made his way up to the platform. The governor moved out of his way.

"Hello," said Harick. "I saw these two Hylians from miles away. They were hiding behind a real boulder, and seemingly fighting. The young lady over there was pointing at a few things. I figured they was trying to sneak around. Knowing my duty, I had to protect out city. Once they made their way over to me, I caught 'em. It was real easy. We know we gotta protect our fellow Gorons, especially from these no-good loser Hylians. They're all thieves- all of 'em. Our city does not deserve Hylian wrath. Who knows what would've happened if they got into our city. We could've been ambushed, robbed, killed, and worse things. All Hylians are bad! These two deserve death!"

The crowd cheered in agreement. Regina just stared at Link, very confused.

"Thank you for your time," said the governor. Harick left the platform.

"Now," the governor said. "We must vote. All who vote in favor of death, say 'I'."

The crowd erupted into yelling. _Oh boy._

"Well, I guess that's an all vote for in favor of death. Am I correct?"

The crowd replied with scattered answers.

"Then death is their punishment!" he claimed.

The Gorons cheered.

The guards were ready to take them both away, but Link then decided to speak out.

"Hold on," Link said.

The crowd turned silent as they realized Link was trying to speak. The governor turned towards him.

"Now look here, this Hylian wants to speak! How pathetic!"

The Gorons erupted in laughter. Link just sighed in frustration.

"You didn't even give us a chance to speak for ourselves!" Link said.

"Why would you defend yourselves? All Hylians are always guilty of crime."

Link gulped.

"Just hear me out. We're only here for the sake of this kingdom. We intend no harm to you, we just want to go into the temple."

The governor laughed hysterically.

"No, we never will let Hylians into our sacred temple. And we won't let you either. Gorons are only allowed."

"Sir," Link said. "Your race is in danger. There's someone who wants to steal from you temple, and it isn't us. If they take it, then your territory will be in danger."

"And what are you going to do about it?" the governor asked.

"Awaken him before it can be corrupted, and then used for dooming Hyrule."

The governor was confused.

"What is the thing in our temple that is in danger?"

"The sage of fire," Link said.

"Darunia?" The governor gasped.

The crowd of Gorons became shocked.

"Isn't he dead?"

"No, he's only asleep,'' Link stated. "If he becomes corrupted, then he will be used for turning Hyrule into darkness, including your city."

The governor sighed. He stood silent for a few moments until speaking out to the crowd.

"We will not give these Hylians death, because they intend to help us. I sense that they really do mean it."

The crowd became murmurs of agreement and anger.

"Mr. Hylian," said the governor. "I will let you help us under once favor."

"What is it?" asked Link.

"My son went to the temple a few days ago to pay respects to his ancestors. He hasn't came back, and I am very worried. I will let you into the temple, but please find my son and make sure he is in no danger. Bring him here once you find him."

"We will both find him for you," said Link.

"Thank you, Hylians. And I apologize for a rough start between us. I should've never judged you both."

"Don't worry about it," Link said.

The governor smiled.

"I declare this session dissmised!"

The Goron crowd broke apart and slowly disappeared.

"Hylians," said the governor. "You can stay in my guest suite. My Gorons will guide you to the temple at dawn. I wish you well."

The governor whispered something to a guard, then left the room.

Regina walked closer to Link.

"What a day, huh?" She said.

"What a day..." Link sighed. All he wanted was some good sleep. He was exhausted. The thought of an amazing sleep made Link yawn loudly.

Regina laughed silently.

"I'm tired as well, Link." She yawned. "See? You made me yawn. They're contagious, you know."

"I'm sorry!" Link chuckled.

"Don't be, it happens. And Did anyone ever tell you that your yawn sounds like a dying bear?"

"Really?"

Regina giggled.

"Yes Link, it does! A screaming bear, I do say."

Regina kept laughing at her late night humor. Link just smiled.

"Come on Regina, lets go on and rest."


	12. Chapter Twelve

**BANG BANG BANG**

Link and Regina were awakened by obnoxious knocking on the door. Link jumped out of his bed from the noise, Regina sat up, very confused.

Link went to investigate who knocked on the door. He opened it, and there stood one of the Goron guards.

"Hurry up," he said. "If you want to go to the temple, the time is now. You have ten minutes to get ready."

Before Link could reply, the door was slammed in front of his face. _That Goron has anger issues..._.

Regina rubbed her eyes. "God, the knocking gave me a fright."

She slowly got out of her cot. Regina took her clothes out of the wardrobe, and headed towards the washroom door.

"I shall dress myself in here," she told him. "Tell me when you're done getting dressed so we can leave."

Link nodded, and she closed the door.

Link felt awfully silent today. He didn't know why, it was just another one of those quiet days, which was not a surprise to him considering that he was quiet in most situations. In the past few 24-hour periods, he was quite a bit talkative, and he didn't know why.

Link dressed himself in his 'new' green tunic and cap, rushing to make the 10 minute time limit. He wasn't used to dressing so quickly.

Link finished, and knocked on the washroom door where Regina was dressing.

"You done?" he asked her.

"Yes, and I have been for quite a while now."

Link rolled his eyes.

Regina opened the washroom door. She was dressed in her normal clothes from yesterday, but her hair was done differently. To him, it seemed strange that he could remember the very detail of how her hair was done the day brfore. He usually wasn't one to remember detail, but for some reason, he could remember that?

"So, are we going?" Regina asked.

Link snapped out of his thoughts.

"Oh, let's get going then." he quickly said.

Regina scrunched her face in puzzlement.

Link and Regina departed the room where they stayed. Outside the door of the room in the hall, stood a Royal Goron Guard, anxiously awaiting their arrival.

"Good riddance, Hylians. Ten minutes should be more than enough to be ready. Why do take so long?"

 _Because we actually wear clothes unlike you,_ Link wanted to shout.

The Goron led the two through the indoor city. It seemed like such a lively place; the streets were busy and Gorons were about the whole place. They seemed like such a nice race, but what exactly did they have against Hylians?

They finally approached the exit of the City. The Goron stopped in his tracks, and turned to face both Regina and Link.

"This is where I leave you both," the Goron said. "The temple is straight up the trail, next to where the red flag is." he pointed to a small flag in the distance.

"It's very hot inside the volcano, so our governor is granting you both gifts that will help you withstand the temperature. The governor sends his good luck, and tells me to remind you of the deal you made earlier with him."

The Goron halted, gave the box to Regina, then walked back into the city entrance, leaving Regina and Link alone.

Regina opened the box. She picked something out of it, and inspected it by putting the item in front of her eyes. She held a bracelet, made out of gold and rubies. Her face suddenly turned confused; she tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows.

"How in bloody hell is this supposed to protect us from extreme heat conditions?" she asked.

Link shook his head. "I don't know, probably some Goron technology."

Regina shrugged off the thought, putting the bracelet onto her wrist. She then took another bracelet out of the box, handing it over to Link. The bracelet Link had was exactly like Regina's.

"Let's get going now," said Link, and he started to head for the flag that marked the entrance. Regina quickly followed behind him.

As they walked, Link worried about how this quest would go. _This would be the second sage, yes. He figured the sage must have been a Goron, since he seemed very well respected when Gorons talked about him. The thing was that darkness could have already corrupted the sage, kind of what happened to Saria. What if the sage did become corrupted? What if he was already? Hopefully Henrad did not try to convince the fire sage to help him take over Hyrule, and hopefully Henrad did not turn him into a foul beast. Hopefully the sage of fire was okay. But also, the rebels had arrived to the village nearby already-_

"Link!" Regina alerted. "You're walking past the flag."

Link turned himself around, and he saw Regina standing next to a red flag, with her arms crossed and her face filled with hilarity.

"Link, you were bound to walk straight off that mountain," she said. " _Bam! Splat!_ You would've splattered everywhere, if no one interrupted your. glorious daydreams."

"I'm sorry," Link replied. "I wasn't paying attention, but not daydreaming."

"I was only kidding about you daydreaming. You don't seem like the type of person who daydreams," Regina told him.

 _Oh._ What exactly was meant by that statement?

Regina raised her eyebrows quickly. "Wait, I didn't mean what I said as an insult."

Link remained silent.

All stood still for a few moments, with uncomfortable silence between the both of them. None of them made any eye contact, and Link felt awkward.

Link sighed. "Let's head to the temple."

Regina nodded slowly, and followed Link as he walked to the entrance that led to the inside of the volcano.

As soon as Link entered the volcano, he felt a hellish burst of heat rush onto his face. He felt sweat immediately drip down his body. At first he thought the bracelet didn't work. The bracelet suddenly began to glow, cooling down the temperature of his body. Link felt relieved.

"It's certainly very bright in here,'' said Regina.

Link nodded in agreement.

The two of them walked around the crater, finding an old-looking bridge that led to another part of the area. Below the bridge was some bubbling magma and a few sharp boulders.

"I don't know how I feel about crossing this bridge," Regina mumbled. "It certainly looks very hazardous."

"It doesn't look too bad," Link replied.

"Are you kidding me? That bridge looks like it's going to break into pieces as soon as we attempt to cross it."

Link sighed. "I'm sure it's fine to cross, but since you feel rather unsafe, I'll cross to the other side first then."

Link went to the bridge and crossed at ease, walking at a normal pace. He reached the other side and faced Regina, bowing down.

Now Regina attempted, still slightly terrified, and she walked slowly across the bridge, pacing her steps. The bridge was very high above the magma, had no railings of any sort, and was thin in size. Slowly but surely, she made it across somehow. Link applauded in sarcasm.

"That wasn't too bad," said Regina.

"See? Not everything is as bad as it seems." Link told her.

"What?"

"I said not every-"

"Ever."

Regina let out a small laugh and started walking away. Link then realized what she did. _I'm an idiot_.

Link caught up to her as she looked around for anything that looked like a temple entrance. He stayed quiet as she searched, until she suddenly ducked behind a boulder.

"What?" Link asked.

"I see the temple entrance over there," said Regina.

"And you're hiding?"

"Yes, because I swear there's someone over there." She pointed to the entrance, where you could see a figure walking around.

Link inspected it closely. The spiked bangs, pale skin, red eyes, short midnight hair, and black dress...

"Regina, isn't that Clarisse?"

She raised her eyebrows, looking closely at her.

"It is?" she said. "Why though?"

"Well, we can only find out if we follow her." Link replied.

"Good idea, genius. We have to go into the temple anyway. Also, I have a feeling she's up to nothing that's good."

Link looked towards the entrance, and he saw Clarisse walk inside the entrance.

"Let's go," Said Link.

They quickly walked to the temple, trying to follow the former adviser. The entrance was nothing more than a ladder inside a square, pillar-like entrance that led underground. Link let Regina climb down first, then she signaled him to come down. Once they both were down, they spotted Clarisse, walking to the right wing of the temple.

"Where's she going?" Link wondered.

"I don't know, but she looks suspicious."

They headed to the right wing, walking on a path that was surrounded by magma. The right wing was dark, the only source of light was the dim torches in the corridor.

There they saw the girl, walking to a barred room- it looked more like a dungeon cell. Regina and Link hid behind a pillar of rock, watching her.

Clarisse looked inside the barred cell, suddenly looking upset. She clenched her fist.

"It's too bad that they aren't here yet," Clarisse hissed. "I want to kill you in front of their very eyes."

"I don't get why you want me dead," someone replied from inside the cell. "I was just paying my respects to the great sage-"

"And you refused to help me!'' Clarisse spat. "My master needs his help! I need to find him."

"I don't trust you," it replied. "I know you're up to no good. I will never tell you where he is."

"Are you sure about that?" Clarisse replied. "You're my only chance of getting help. None of those stupid Hylians wanted to help me. They didn't tell me where the princess was."

"And why do you want the princess?"

"Because we need Zelda's cold, dead, blood to revive the great Gerudian King!" Clarisse screeched.

Regina gasped at her words.

"We need her dead. And we can only achieve this with using the sages and turning them against her. But those stupid bastards already saved the sage of forest. I'll make sure they won't reach Daurina or the others."

"I will never let you get ahold of my ancestors!" the prisoner cried. "I will never help you."

"Then I suppose I'll have to kill you."

"Be my guest, you filthy swine."

Before Clarisse could make a dangerous move, Link, in a split second, ran out and pushed Clarisse to the ground, keeping the prisoner from harm.

"Agh!" she screeched. Clarisse tumbled onto the ground and looked up to find Link, with his arms crossed.

"My, oh my. Well isn't it the Hero of Hyrule," Clarisse hissed. "You've finally come before me, and I can see you have a little helper with you."

Regina slowly walked out from hiding, her head facing down.

"Ah, there she is, the lovely girl. And what a surprise! It's the girl who knows where the Princess is!"

Link looked at Regina. Regina turned from him, avoiding eye contact. _She knows where the princess is?_


	13. Chapter Thirteen

"You know where she is?" Link questioned. Why didn't she tell him anything? He had to protect the Princess as well!

"I haven't a clue!" Regina cried out. "Link, trust me please!"

"Don't lie, I know that you know her location. I know that you're trying to keep away from her." Clarisse claimed.

"I am not keeping away from her, and I do not know her whereabouts! I have not a thing what you talk about!"

"Oh really," Clarisse smirked. "Remember that stupendous creature you encountered in the depths of the evergreen woods?"

Link's eyes widended. The damn thing, the Monster at the cursed house.

"He sensed that you, girl, know knowledge that Lord Henrad does not know about, you know where Zelda is hiding from us. That is the information we need, to awaken Ganondorf. That is why he wanted you, Regina. So we could have this knowledge to capture the stupid Princess and kill her. Sadly, you Hylians killed our fellow monster, ruining our chances. And now, luckily, you two Hylians came running here to the Fire Temple, to only encounter me! Just perfect timing, Hero. I can finally get the information we need for finding the Princess after you lose."

Link clenched his fist.

"Ah, Mr. Hero, I can see that you're very upset. But don't worry, you're here just in time to see this Goron's demise. Just wait and see how fun it is!"

"That won't happen at all," Link retorted.

"Excuse me? Everything Henrad says, goes. Since the stupid boulder rock didn't tell me where the sage was, then he deserves death. I already lost one, I won't loose any more."

"And why do you want the sages so badly?" Link spat.

"You don't need to know!" she hissed. "And you will never get them, either. When you lose, then Henrad will finally rule with the king!"

Threatened, Link drew his sword from his sheath slowly, stancing it in front of himself. Link's hands trembled.

"Tough one aren't you?" Clarisse mocked. "I hate to tell you, but determination does not mean victory. You want to battle me, pretty boy? Then watch out, because you're just a rookie, and I'm a pro!"

With a snap of Clarisse's fingers, a metal longsword and a tall shield appeared in middair. She grabbed them both.

"Prepare to lose, Hero. You don't know what's coming. Long live Henrad and the Great Ganondorf!"

With that, she ran towards Link, swinging her sword at him. Link ducked, barely esaping the sharp blade. He rolled sideways, stood up quickly, then popped up and tried to slash at her arm. Clarisse had jumped out of the way. They both locked eyes, and ran towards each other, their blades colliding. Link blocked every swing with his shield. He could feel the force of her hits upon his arm. Link quickly sidestepped, and countered her attack. Clarisse fell onto the ground.

Her eyes showed rage, they were a blazing fire with intense heat. Clarisse then dogged an attempted slash, and jumped, aiming for Link's body. Link deflected with his shield. Their swords collided, fencing each other and crossing. Link pushed his blade against hers, causing Clarisse to stumble backwards. She quickly recovered, and attacked Link when we was off guard, finally cutting flesh open on his left arm and right leg. The wounds were large in size, they stung him like millions of wasps.

Link squeezed his body in pain, gravity pulling him to the ground. He could not feel any energy, not even a drop, in his body.

Clarisse smirked. "I told you that you can never defeat me. What makes you think you can defeat Henrad? You aren't capable of it. You're just a failure. A failure like Zelda- or even Regina, who already can't do anything."

He looked towards Regina, who was trapped, her body against the wall, wrapped in a dark vine. Clarisse must have trapped her in the fight.

"Face it, hero," said Clarisse. "There is no hope for Hyrule. None. Just give up now, and you can join our forces. If you refuse, you can die as a failure, which you already are."

For a second, Link beleived the stinging, harmful words. He wanted to give in, he was already doomed. But then...

"Link," Regina whispered. "You aren't a failure. Don't beleive her lies. You are blessed with the spirit of courage and the talent of swordsmanship. Do not give up, Link. Hyrule needs you, Zelda needs you, Hylia needs you, I n-"

"Shut up!" Clarisse yelled. "If you still have courage, then fight me, Hero!"

And Link did. He stood, with a sudden spirit of courage and strength. He readied his sword, and in a split second, ran and knocked Clarisse to the rock ground. Clarisse was shocked, not knowing what to do at all. Link then finally slashed at her leg, cutting it open. Clarisse yelped in pain. Link slashed her other leg twice as well when he got the chance.

Regina was suddenly set free from bondage, running towards Link, where Clarisse was lying on the ground, panting. Regina took out her dagger, and stabbed Clarisse in her right arm, causing Clarisse to scream.

After a while, Clarisse stood. "I underestimated you," she pointed at Link. "I went very easy on you, very easy. Next time I see you, I will put my wrath upon you, and your life will be taken! But for now, go on, take this sage, but know that we will find Zelda and the other sages, and you won't be able to do a thing."

Clarisse faced Regina. "As for you, little scoundrel, I will find Zelda, no matter what it takes. When I meet you next time, I will force you to say where she is located. Plan also to die along with your little hero. Next time, you two will experience your demise."

Clarisse looked down at the ground. "I will make sure it isn't easy for you to win. I shall ask my Lord Henrad for permission to release the army of beasts. They will rip any man apart in seconds, and hopefully both of you will die in the process of fighting them. Good luck."

And with a snap of her dry, bloodied fingers, Clarisse vanished into the humid air.

Regina looked back towards Link, he was a bloody mess. Literally.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah, it's just a tiny cut." he replied.

"Are you kidding? Those aren't even close to small."

"Okay, they're pretty big. But I'm okay. Lets go free the Goron of imprisonment."

Regina nodded.

The two headed to the cell, where the Goron was rolled up. Link unsheathed his sword again, and cut the lock off the dungeon door. The lock fell to the ground with a _clink_ , causing the Goron to stand suddenly.

Link approached him with Regima behind him. The Goron smiled at them.

"You Hylians saved me?" he asked.

Link nodded. "Does that surprise you?"

"Kind of. I've been always told that Hylians were scammers and filthy liars, because of our past encounters. I would've never thought in my lifetime that Hylians would be of any use. And I want to thank you."

The Goron turned around.

"I heard that you intend to awaken the Great Sage of Fire. Why so?"

"For many reasons," Said Link. "The most important one is that they help take down Henrad and his plan of evil."

"I see," the Goron replied. "I can sense that you are of the light. Come and follow me, I can show you where our Sage lies."

Link and Regina followed the Goron, trying to keep up as the Goron rolled around the temple. Atleast they both got a good insight. It was a pretty big Temple, afterall.

The Goron stopped in front of a walkway surrounded by skin-melting magma, where waterfalls of the scorching liquid fed the lakes. At the end of the walkway were just rocks, but one huge sapphire crystal stood tall in the middle.

"That red crystal over there,'' said the Goron. "That's the sage of fire. When touched by a Hylian hand, the sage will be awakened and out of its sleep state of mind. The Great Daurina lies in the crystal. Go on, Hylians. Awaken him, for it is a most convinent time to do so. I will leave you be, I shall return to my father."

The Goron departed.

Link and Regina approached the crystal slowly, cautious of the area. It seemed so weird that such a poweful sage could be awakened by the hands of a Hylian. But all that mattered was that the sages were in the right hands.

Link halted himself in front of the crystal, with Regina behind him ( _like she always is_ ). With a trembling blood-stained hand, he pressed his hand on to the sapphire crystal.

Immediatley, a burst of flashing red light flooded the room, causing the two to quickly look away. When the flash was gone, Link and Regina opened their eyes, finding themselves looking at a sturdy, buffened Goron with a white beard. He stood tall, staring intensely at only Link, studying him.

"Brother?" he called.

Link froze, confused about the name.

"Link?" the Goron said.

Link jolted. "Yes?"

The sage suddenly erupted into friendly laughter, smiling wide. He then proceeded to pick Link into his large hands, spinning him around in circles.

"My brother!" The sage proclaimed. "You came back for us and my people!"

He set Link down.

"I did?" asked Link, puzzled.

The sage laughed. "I mean as a spirit reborn. The hero I encountered last did so many things for our people, he saved them many times.. I apologize for the confusion." The sage stopped smiling. "In all seriousness, thank you for awakening me. If it had been anyone else, I don't know what would have happened, probably horrid events. Say, I guess it's time for me to enter the Chamber of Sages, so I may perform my duties. Come along with me, you two."

A bright white circle of light surrounded them for a few long seconds, then dissapeared, revealing the Chamber of Sages. The sage stood in front of them.

"I am the Sage of Fire, Daurina." He stated. "I thank you for awakening me. My duty as a sage is to help the selected one of the goddesses in any way possible. I am a destined sage, here to help in this time. I have seen Henrad's actions, and if we do not hurry, he will awaken the long lost Gerudian King with Royal blood, causing our Hyrule to turn into a darkened world. But now that you are here, things can change. Link, brother, I have seen that you are chosen, and you can save Hyrule from this potential downfall."

Daurina held out a ruby medallion in the palm of his hand.

"Link, accept and take this medallion not only as an act of graditude, but as help to your journey."

Link held out his hand, where Daurina placed the Fire Medallion.

"You must go and hurry, boy. The time is running out. The other sages await your needed arrival."

Daurina waved his hand in front of himself, causing Regina and Link to slowly fade.

"Go on. I believe in you, my good brother..."


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Link was limping, down the steep mountain path, only supported by Regina's pale arm. His leg wouldn't stop bleeding, as well as his arm. All he felt was the sting of pain extend throughout his body, how he felt so hurt by the wounds he had gotten in the battle.

After obtaining the Fire Medallion, Regina and Link had met with the Governor of Goron City. He had thanked them for finding his son, and he had invited them to a feast. Link and Regina would've said yes, but Link's open wounds were causing weird conditions onto him. He trembled, feeling cold even in the hottest of the mountain. His vision would go out of focus at times, he felt weak and dead. Link has collapsed and fainted before replying to the governor, but Regina politley rejected the offer and decided to bring Link back to the village so she could wrap his bloody wounds. When Link was not in the faint state, she helped him up, and now there they were, walking down.

Link felt his heart beat poputate, going presto to snail speed. He began to pant, feeling the feeling of fainting come upon him once more. His eyes blurred and his arms weak, he collapsed again, causing Regina to fall down with him. She ended up below him, her rib cage stiff.

"Oh Link," she wheezed. "Not again."

Regina squirmed and freed herself from under Link's body( It was uncomfortable). Link was indeed passed out. Regina concluded that the wounds had once again caused this, but not just the loss of blood.

She turned Link over, slowly, and Look at his terrifying leg wound. She observed, and not only just blood was there, but a purple liquid as well; it smelled of a vile scent. Poison.

That was great. Clarisse's weapon had poison, a posion she knew of. A poison that was made for the sake of giving harmful conditions. How wonderful.

Regina shook Link, but of course he was still 'asleep'. She couldn't just wait for him. Even if the poison would harm him, he could get infection in his wounds. What could she do, carry him? No. Put him against her, bringing him down herself?

And that's what she did. She placed his arm around her shoulder, his limp body leaning against her. She slowly walked, being careful that his body wouldn't fall on her again.

Step by step... One.. Two... _Hylia, Link. Wake up already! I'm weak and I can barely take your body weight._

Regina struggled, her shoulder dying from the weight on top of her. She scrunched her face, wanting to scream out to the world.

Suprisingly, she made it, to the tree that was barely in the Village. Regina put Link down, leaning him against the oak tree.

His wounds still bad, Regina quickly ran into a general store to buy bandage, pieces of cloth, and a pail. She had taken a few Rupees from Link's wallet (Only to buy the supplies, she's not a theif) and bought the materials, then ran back to Link. She dropped off everything except for the pail, and quickly ran to a small pond nearby, filling it with water. She came back, soaking a piece of cloth into the water, and put it against his forehead. She then took a bigger piece and saturated it in water, cleansing his leg wound. Link had reacted to this, his face had cramped at the impact of the wet cloth. She smiled at that.

After cleaning out the blood and posion of the leg, she took the bandage and wrapped his first wound, tightly, and proceeded to the next wound onto his arm. She began to clean the wound.

Regina looked at him, observing him with her soft eyes.

She didn't know why, but whenever she looked upon him, she felt a strange feeling come upon her; her heart always felt like it accented a beat. It could be because-

Link suddenly awoke, groaning loudly.

He looked at her, almost squinting. "Where are we..."

"Under a tree. You fainted again, Link."

"Did I?" he asked, groaning.

"Yes, I just brought you down and now I'm just cleaning up your wounds."

Link looked at the arm she was wrapping. "I see."

"Of course you can see,'' Regina chuckled.

Link slowly rolled his eyes.

"Turn that left arm for me,'' said Regina. "That's your last wound."

Link obeyed. Regina took her last of her cloth and soaked it in the cool water. She squeezed out the excess water and placed it on the wound, cleaning it.

"That hurts!" Link groaned.

"Of course it does, considering your wound is filled with posion."

"Poison?" Link said it as he never heard the word.

"You see this purple?" Regina took the cloth off his arm, pointng at the purple in the midst of the blood stains.

"Oh..."

"Clarisse's sword had this poison that only meant to harm you. It won't kill you, but it can bring such pain."

"Cool..."

Regina wrapped the last wound. Link sighed in relief.

"Are you able to walk?" she asked.

"I-I think s-so..." he muttered.

Regina held out her hand, Link grabbing it for support. He pushed himself up, but once standing, he fell down again.

"Link, you're weak!''

"I know,'' Link replied. "I just want sleep."

"Maybe sleep would help wear off the posion,'' Regina told him. "Afterall, I'm not sure if you have the abillity to walk a long ways right now."

She sighed. "But we don't really have a place to stay, so we would probably have to set up a camp."

"Anywhere is fine, I just want to sleep...'' Link groaned.

"So you would stay here and sleep?" she asked.

"Yes.."

Regina looked around quickly, then looked back toward him.

"If that's alright with you, I suppose. Are you cold?"

"Very..." Link groaned.

"I can get you a blanket. And soup. Are you okay with that?"

"Pumpkin Soup..."

"I guess you are, Link. You're extremley out of it. I guess the poison just made you very tired."

It was already dusk, and it was getting darker by the second. Regina assured Link that she would hurry before it became pitch black. She ran back to the store, in attempt to buy a blanket. Just as she was about to enter, she ran into someone. Like, actually ran into.

Regina and the person fell to the ground upon impact. Ow.

"I'm sorry..." Regina moaned.

"Don't fret." Said a familliar voice.

Regina looked up to find Marinette, the person who helped save her life.

"Marinette!" Regina exclaimed. "Hello!''

Marinette rubbed her head, smiling. "Greetings."

Regina stood, helping Marinette up.

"I'm sorry for being so clumsy," Regina alologized.

"It's fine. I'm usually the clumsy one," Marinette replied. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Oh, I was getting a blanket for Link."

"Why didn't you just let me help you? I can put him under my care. Is he okay?"

"Yes," said Regina. "He's just awfully tired. He has some wounds that I just cleaned, but he is really groggy right now."

"Poor thing..." Said Marinette. "Where is he? I can help bring him in here."

Regina led Marinette to the tree, where Link was. He looked so peacefully asleep.

"Link?" Regina called.

Link opened his eyes slowly, looking at both of them.

"Oh, hey..." Link then closed his eyes again.

Marinette looked at Regina. "Yes, he really needs to rest."

Marinette and Regina helped Link up, bringing him to her house. Marinette put him in her husband's study, placing him and laying him onto the cot. Marinette removed his boots and weapons, then covered him with a wool blanket. Link instantly fell into sleep.

"Thank you so much,'' Regina said.

"My pleasure,'' Marinette replied.

There was a silence for a few moments, then Regina started a conversation.

"Where's Adrien?" she asked.

Marinette sighed. "Sleeping. He has to wake early tomorrow for his occupation. I'm usually to myself in these hours before my bedtime."

"It's boring to be alone," Regina replied.

"It is.. But now you're here and I don't feel so isolated. Anyway, I was wondering, why was Link hurt?"

Regina guessed it was better to tell what actually happened rather than tell a lie. She explained that she and Link had went to Death Mountain to awaken the sages, getting captured by Gorons, and the battle with Clarisse. She also had to explain that Link was the hero and how they met.

Regina's mouth felt dry after speaking so much. Marinette had listened carefully, and finally responded to the story.

"So all this caused the injuries of Link..." Marinette concluded. "Wow, you guys already did alot in just a few days, and it does make sense that Link is the Chosen Hero. And that's why you went to Death Mountain! It makes more sense rather that finding a Hylian up there."

"Yes, I'm sorry for lying. It's just that.." Regina hesitated. "I can't really tell any information out loud."

"Why?" Marinette asked. "I'm not dangerous."

"I know you aren't,'' Regina sighed. "It's just that Henrad-"

"You know who Henrad is?" Asked Marinette.

"Doesn't everyone?" Regina said.

"Not everyone is aware of what happened at Hyrule Castle. They just think it's just a rise in crime. Poor things."

"I didn't know. But how do you know about it?"

"I'll tell you after you've finished."

"Oh," Regina forgot about it. "It's just that, Henrad has spies everywhere in Hyrule."

"He does?" Marinette's eyes widened.

"He does. He wants to find information about the whereabouts of the Princess and anything against him, so he sent spies to lookout onto private and public conversations to obtain any information he can find. I think we're safe to speak here, but it's still dangerous to talk about classified information."

"Oh my, I have to warn them." Marinette gasped.

"Warn who?" asked Regina.

"I guess I could tell you, because I trust you. My family is apart of the Sheikah Tribe."

"What's that?" Asked Regina.

"We're really known for helping out the Royal Family. Even though years ago the Council of Hyrule made us stop our duties of protecting the Royals, we still try to. My family lives in the Sheikah house, and they join with other members to see what they can do. My family could be spied on. I have to warn them."

"Why aren't you in the Sheikah house?" asked Regina.

"I'm married to a Hylian. So I can't live there."

"Please do warn your family. And I'm sorry that the Council kicked you out of your duties. That seems really suspicious."

"It's more than that,'' Marinette said. "The Council has been corrupted with Rebels ever since the death of the King. So they kicked us out when we found out that information, and we can't even go near the Castle."

 _If I had only known..._

"I'm sorry about that..."

Marinette just exhaled loudly. "It isn't your fault."

Regina looked at Link, who was still peacefully sleeping. Feel better...

"You should sleep," said Marinette.

Sleep sounded swell.

"I shall. Goodnight."


	15. Chapter Fifteen

_Link, Ruby, and Cherry were hiding, scared to their own demise. They hid together in the basement, huddled underneath the brown, scratched table. Cherry was trembling, Ruby was whimpering, and Link trying to remain very calm. It was almost impossible to stay calm to him._ _He was only eleven. Eleven. He didn't want to die. The rebels were right outside his doorstep, fighting the forces of Hyrule. Worse, his father was fighting alongside the Princess. Every time worry of his father poured into his heart, he was even more tempted to jump into the fight._

 _"Do you think, that father w-will ever come b-back?" Asked Ruby. She must've been thinking the same thing._

 _"I don't know, All I can believe is that he will return, afterall, he is a very strong warrior."_ Link tried his best to hide his fear.

 _"I just hope you're right..."_ Probably Ruby knew of the worst.

 _The screaming from the outside just got more deafening. Link just tapped his fingers on the floor, worried out of his mind._ _All Link knew at the time was that the Rebels were trying to take over the Faron Province; it was believed that capturing Faron would be essential to capturing the Eldin Region._ _After what seemed like days and months,_ L _ink decided to check out_ the outside.

 _"I can see if everything is okay," Link suggested. Link stood up to leave._

 _"Wait!" Cherry called. "By yourself? You know It's dangerous to go alone. Especially in a battle. Let me go with you."_

 _Link shook his head. "I can't let you go. I don't want you to get injured. Stay here, I'll be back soon."_

 _"But Link!" Cherry exclaimed. "What if you get hurt?"_

 _"Don't worry about me. Just promise me you won't leave this room." He smiled at them, and ran up the basement stairs._

 _Link grabbed the sword from his kitchen wall, and headed outside, quietly. Surprisingly, there was no fighting going on whatsoever. It all seemed strange for such a huge battle. Link ran and hid behind a bush, looking onto the battlefield. Bodies lay everywhere, soulless and limp. There were so many fatalities, both from each side. The Hylian Army was standing one side, standing still, and the Rebels were doing the same thing. He looked at the Hylians, where he could see and hear what they were saying._

 _"General, you don't have to fight for me. If Henrad wants to battle me, then let me do it! I am very capable of fighting for myself."_

 _"My duty is to protect you at all costs, Princess Hallie," The General infromed her. "I can't let you pass away. Please, let me. I insist."_

 _"I know that is your duty, but I must do something. This is my kingdom, and I will fight for it. And if I die, than so be it! My fair Zelda will be the next ruler then. I just want a better Hyrule for her generation. Please, General Rostel, Please let me perform my duty."_

 _The General faced away from the Princess, revealing his face._

 _It was his father._ _"Princess, I can't. I will go. Soilders, take Princess Hallie somewhere to safety. Officer Samson, Pass me my sword. I will fight this monster myself."_

"No... _" Link wanted to scream. "Dad, don't go!"_ _But General Rostel was already heading to the middle of the battlefield, sword in hand._ _And Link felt as if something terrible was to happen..._

Link awoke, fairly energetic. He looked at his arm, it was covered in bandages. How did that get there? And where was he? he was in some strange cot, in some sort of study. Did he get kiddnapped? That wouldn't be good.

Link jumped off the cot and walked outside the room. The place did seem familliar however; he didn't know why. When he walked out of the hall, he saw Regina, sitting on a cot, reading a huge, thick book. Regina suddenly noticed Link, and put her book down.

"Link, you're up." she said, surprised.

"Um, yeah?" he said, confused. "What are you reading?"

Regina glanced down at her book. "Oh, it's a history book. About the Dark war. Right now I'm reading about the battle for Faron Province."

 _The battle where my father died?_

"Cool,'' Link just said, facing away. He hated the subject.

"You okay?" she asked. It was like she knew there was a problem.

"I'm good. But where are we?" he asked.

"You don't remember anything?" Regina exclaimed.

Link shook his head. Not one single thing.

"Oh my, you were completley out of it yesterday. You were hurt in the battle on Death Mountain, and you started fainting, so Marinette was kind to let you stay here rather than underneath a tree."

Link then suddenly remembered. "Oh yeah... Now I remember."

Regina laughed. "Now you remember? Did you wake up confused?"

"Yep!" he felt foolish.

She laughed again. "No wonder. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, much better, thank you."

She smiled at him, then picked up her book again.

Link walked over and sat down on her bed. Regina looked up, then continued to read. Link observed her closely, staring as she was reading. He noticed that she was reacting to something written inside the book. Her eyes were widening quickly and her facial expression turned worried...

"Regina?" Link called.

She snapped her head out of the book. "Pardon?"

"Are you enjoying the book?"

Regina's face turned into confusion. "I wouldn't say I'm enjoying the book considering that I'm reading about Hyrule's casualties, but I do find the book to be very interesting in subject."

"It looked like you weren't enjoying it,'' Link hinted at her to tell about what she was reading.

Regina groaned. "I was reading a part of the chapter that I actually do remember. It was when the older Princess insisted to fight, but her noble General fought instead. He was stabbed by Henrad's own blade, and sadly killed. I was at the castle when I heard the news of his death. It gave shock to all the council, since the General was very skilled with the blade. The result of his death caused Faron to be taken over by rebels, since the Hyrule army grew weak. I wonder what would have happened if the Princess fought instead..."

Link stayed silent for a few moments. He remembered when his village was taken over. The Rebel Army locked Link, his sister, and Cherry inside of his home, which led them to starvation and pain.

"Link?"

He remembered the feeling of parched lips; they were intensely cracked. His body would scream at him because he didn't have access to the basic needs of life.

"Link?"

His sister was pale, her eyes were red from weeping. She was even tempted to drink her own tears for hydration. He remembered the rebels feasting outside, drinking water and wine and devouring expensive meats. They were laughing at him, pointing and mocking the death of his father. It was a trophy for them. They didn't care.

"Link!"

"My father was General Rostel," Link croaked out.

She gasped, hand covering her mouth, staggered by his words. Her eyes fell to the ground, avoiding his contact.

"I-I'm sorr- I mean, I apologize. I had no intent to bring him up, I should have known he was your dearest father. I don't want to cause you harm, I-"

"Regina," Link interrupted. "Don't apologize. Nothing here is your fault."

"But I should have knew before-"

"Please, don't stress it." Link told her.

He gazed into her eyes, making contact with her. She looked with compassion and sympathy, as if she felt his pain of losing someone. Link felt a strange connection; it was a strange feeling that he could not explain. It was like his heart would jump as his body would tingle.

Regina broke the eye contact, looking at the wall behind them. Link sighed, rubbing his hands together. Why did she look away?

"Should we find the other sages?" he asked.

She looked back at him. "Oh, we should. I forgot about them for a moment."

Regina stood, walking towards the washroom.

"Are you sure you feel okay? I don't want you fainting again."

Link nodded. "I am fine, please. Don't worry about me."

She sighed. "Well okay, if you feel fine, we can head out soon. I'll be right out." Regina locked herself into the washroom.

Link tapped his fingers against the book Regina left on the cot. He was tempted to look at the book, but he just couldn't. The book was the key to those terrible memories. He didn't like thinking about them, but Regina had brought them up. Maybe information about his father would be in there. It would be worth a shot to just glance...

Link slowly reached for the book, lifting the heavy leather onto his lap; he turned and flipped through the rough pages until he saw the chapter. The chapter about the Faron Province. Link skimmed through it, he knew some parts of it, but then he saw it; the general who died in the war.

 _General Rostel was a very honorable man. He was well respected, and he was favored in the Royal Family. He was assigned to Princess Hallie, the former heir to the throne, as her protector and Millitary adviser. He has many acheivements stated in this book. In the fight for Faron, the leader of rebels(Henrad) challenged Princess Hallie to a duel. It was said that Hallie wanted to fight him, but Rostel stepped out and fought Henrad instead. Rostel lost, since Henrad had an unknown power that completley destroyed him. With General Rostel weakened, the leader of rebels stabbed him. With the rebel's win, they took over Faron and claimed it as their own, putting the villages into despair and tyrrany. In the next section.._

Link closed the book slowly. Unknown power? How could they not know? He knew his father was a strong warrior, and it did make sense that a power Henrad possesed could be present. But if he was defeated in the end, how did they not investigate his God-Like power?

"Link, you're up?" a voice said.

He turned to see Marinette, standing in her kitchen.

"Hello Miss," he groaned.

"Still tired?" She asked.

He nodded.

"Well, you seem like it. But it's good to see you up and well again."

Link nodded. "Thanks, and thank your sheltering us once again."

Marinette smiled. "You can always come here when you need refuge.

Regina came out of the washroom, with her hair tamed and felt more energized in her body.

"Hello Marinette!" she greeted, excited.

"Hey Regina!" Marinette shared the same additude.

They enthusiasm between them made Link wonder if they had become best friends overnight.

"You guys leaving?" Marinette asked.

Regina gazed towards her. "Soon, Link says he is well enough to go out again."

"It's already perfect for traveling, you know. It is very cool outside. Also, you both have a duty to fufil, am I right?"

Link looked at Regina. Did Marinette know about this?

"You're right, we do," said Regina. "I guess we should leave then?" She looked toward Link, waiting for his approval.

Link gave her a slight nod.

"Well, go on then!" Marinette said.

Link headed for the door, ready to leave. He turned around, seeing that Marinette was whispering something in Regina's ear. _There has to be something going on here_ , he thought to himself.

Regina nodded at something, and sprinted towards Link.

"Farewell!" Regina exclaimed. "Come and visit me sometime!"

And with that, they went to find the third sage, the sage of water.

 ** _A/N:_**

 **Wassup guys! Adina here. Hope this chapter gave you insight of Link's background! And boy, was he traumatized.** **He be T R I G G E R E D**

 **I'm pissed. I've been writing this story on my phone, and it limits my chapters up to 2000 words. AND NOW, I CAN USE AS MANY WORDS AS I WANT TO NOW BECAUSE OF THIS UPDATE LIKE I COULD'VE ADDED MORE DETAIL UGHHHH AND MY CHAPTERS WOULDN'T HAVE TO END SO SUDDENLY** **KMS**

 **So the next few chapters will be longer than usual. I have up to chapter 17 written, so after that, there will probably be change. I'm still used to limiting my words, so oops. I'm really sorry that I couldn't add more details in the chapters before. I'll try my best to make the next chapters way better! And if i have time, I'll add more detail to the other chapters. I'll let you guys know if I do!**

 **I got a new story idea, with 2 chapters written already. I don't know if I should publish it sometime this month, or wait until this fanfic is almost done. We'll see. I really hope it turns out well!**

 **Please, I beg, please review this story! I really need to know how you feel. Critical or praising, I would love some good ole feedback!**

 **Everytime I publish a chapter, an update is posted on my bio. Feel free to check it out!**

 **And always, if you have any question whatsoever reguarding the story or something else, leave it in the reviews or just PM me!**

 **Don't forget to follow if you like this story! I'm not the best author, but I really want you to enjoy the stories I write.**

 **Peace out!**

 **\- Adina Rossi**


	16. Chapter Sixteen

"I think it would be better if we don't take the path to the Zora's Domain," Regina informed Link. "It is very far from the village, and taking the path would take quite a while to get there. We should cut through."

Link and Regina were just outside the entrance of the village, mounted on their horses and deciding how to get to the next location. She had a map stretched out between her hands.

"Is there a way to cut through to the Domain?" Asked Link.

She bit her lip. "Even if we find a shorter route, it would still take quite a while. Taking the normal route would take a full day, but cutting through would take several long hours."

"But how?" he asked.

"We have to cut through the Lillian Woods, ride through parts of Hyrule Field, climb some hills and what not, cross the Zora River and then back onto the path which will lead us there."

"It sounds... Rediculously complex," Link sighed.

"I know, but it's quicker and efficent. If we hurry, we might make it before nightfall." Regina handed Link the map.

"You got this?" she asked.

"Hopefully," he muttered.

"Then lets get moving, Mr. Hero."

Link led the way, leading his horse onto the pathway that led to the Domain. They rode silently, absorbed in their own train of thought.

Link missed Cherry. He didn't know why. The thought just shot out of his brain. The days when he talked to her were always the best. Now, it was certainly strange, adjusting to this new role, instead of spending his days laying around or spending time with his friend, here he was, adventuring around with some random girl he only met a few days ago to save Hyrule. Fate and destiny was surely confusing.

"Link, the trail is to your right." Regina groaned.

He snapped out of his thoughts. _Of course._ Caught drifting off again.

"Oh, sorry," He quickly apologized, leading his horse back onto the trail.

"Sometimes I wonder if you have attention span problems," Regina muttered.

"Look, I just got a little distracted," Link said. "It happens."

"It happens way too often for you," Regina stated.

 _That was true_.

"Why do you get distracted so often anyway?" She questioned. "Daydreaming still?"

Link shook his head. "Just thinking about things."

"Like what?" asked Regina.

"Is it true that you know of the whereabouts of the Princess?" Link looked toward Regina, stopping his horse along with her.

Regina sighed. "I can't tell you such classified information as of right now."

"Why?" To Link, her hiding things made it seem fishy.

"I would rather explain some other time, since it's a difficult situation. Anyway, right now isn't such a great time." Regina looked away into the other direction.

"Can you even just say 'yes' or 'no'? Just answer my question." Link wanted to know badly.

"Please, I beg you, don't talk about this matter anymore. I don't want to get stressed over this." Regina kicked her horse, riding down the path faster than Link.

 _Well, isn't she sensitive._

He caught up to her, but she had stopped again.

"This is where the shortcut starts, Link." She pointed north. "That's the Lillian Woods, so let's get going."

He gazed towards the woods. They looked... very sketchy to him. Some serial killer was probably waiting behind the long, blackened vines, waiting to stab him right in the chest. He would die like his father! However, It was the shortest way, so he had to go through with it even if he didn't want to. _Oh well._

Link led the two of them to the woods. When he entered, it couldn't have been more sketchier. Any sort of rustling in the trees would make Link alert. They always seemed to end up being cute animals. Link just wanted to get out. With a kick, he urged his horse, Epona, to move quicker.

Regina was still pacing slow. "Link! Stop going so fast!"

He disregarded her comment, riding to the end of the forest. Regina was given no choice but to go the same pace as him. She caught up to Link.

"Link, don't go so fast! You're going to tire out your horse!"

"This forest makes me feel aware for some reason. I just want to ride out of here already."

"Link," she sighed. "You're a ridiculous idiot! If there is even someone here that's dangerous, you _never_ pass by quickly. They will be able to sense you easily and you can draw attention to yourself."

As fate had it, Link heard movement in the shrubs of the forest, only that something had jumped out towards him. He and Regina stopped their horses.

It was certainly a strange being; the creature consisted of buldging eyes, fangs, a small horn, and a skull belt. Link had never seen such a thing; it was horrifying to look at. What type creature was that?

"Link..." Regina spoke softly. "I advise we stay still and slowly back away."

"Why?" he whispered.

She glanced toward him. "If we move quickly, it won't be so good."

 _How so?_ Link and Regina backed away slowly, their horses stepping quietly. _One step... Two steps..._ Link counted as they backed away. Sadly, Regina's horse backed into a tree; The horse neighed in fright.

The creature became cautioned, realizing that there were movements. It screeched, grabbed a horn from his belt, and blew into it. _That's not good at all._

In a millisecond, several of the same creatures jumped out from the trees behind, equipped with spiky clubs and bows. They seemed to chant gibberish, screaming randomness.

"Run?" Regina said softly.

Link jumped off his horse, taking his sword and shield out. "No, we fight."

One monster charged at him. He slashed, throwing the monster forcefully against the tree trunks. It dissolved into ash. Regina took out her bow, sniping the monsters from the trees, fatally killing them.

Link was on fire. He was slashing and spinning; every monster in his way met demise. "HYAHH!" He screamed as he would attack.

 _He certainly has skill,_ Regina thought as she watched him. It was truly charming.

After Link slayed every monster, he turned, cheering. "That was easy!"

Regina's smile slowly faded as she saw rustling in the trees. It was the same creature, but well equiped with a sword and shield. It was ready to pounce on Link...

"Watch out!" She screamed as she readied her bow.

Link turned, summersaulting in time as the monster slashed down upon him. Regina released an arrow, peircing the creature's heart. It released a high pitched scream, but it still stood. It would not give up.

Link stood to his feet, charging at the monster. The monster raised its shield, defending the attack. It slashed back, but Link countered with his sword, finally piercing the monster. Link had a chance to kill the creature as it fell onto the ground. He released a flurry of attacks, hitting the monster repeatedly in a short amount of time. The monster fell down, dissolving into the ground. Link panted.

Regina was staring at the ground. "What... Just... Happened?"

Something clicked in Link's mind.

 _"I shall ask the Lord Henrad to release the Army of Beasts."_

"Hello?" Regina waved.

"No.. Wait." Link said slowly.

Regina looked confused, but didn't ask anything.

"Clarisse said something about the army of beasts earlier."

Regina's face lit up. "Ancient monsters who had not appeared in centuries, last seen in the twilight era. These are it! Henrad has found where we banished those monsters decades ago. He must had freed them and gained their loyalty. This makes sense now."

Link scrunched his face. "I was gonna say that these monsters we encountered are the army of beasts, but it seems you know more about it than me."

She laughed. "Well I'm sorry, I can't help being such a scholar. At least we thought the same."

"Is that your passion? Being a scholar?" Link asked.

Regina looked down. "Well... We're going off a tangent here.. but if you must know.. It would be lovely to be a scholar. I just can't since I devoted my life to this kingdom."

There was a very awkward silence.

"We should go before it gets too late." Link said.

"True, We have quite a while left of a journey." Regina ran back to her horse.

There was more silence for the rest of the way; They had followed the directions without a word.

Finally, in the distance, a wide river could be spotted. The sun was already setting.

"Maybe we should set up a camp by the river. Afterall, I don't think it is safe to travel up the river now."

"Where would we sleep?" asked Link.

"On the ground, detective." Regina replied. "I'll just gather up wood and figure out how to start a fire, then you can sleep on the flawless grass."

"And if we get ambushed?" asked Link.

Regina's eyes suddenly dimmed. "Oh... I didn't really think of that..."

Link was thinking of solutions. _No... That's not a great idea.._ But Link suggested it anyway. "I can keep guard and you can sleep."

Regina seemed surprised. "What? But sleep is more resourceful to you since you are the hero. I can watch, you sleep. I don't need the sleep!"

Link wanted to say yes, but something inside him went against it. "No, Regina, I'm not that tired anyway. I could read that book you brought with you. You should sleep. I'm sure you're extremely exhausted. "

"W-well," Regina stuttered, slightly embarrassed. "If you say so, I guess I could m-manage." Light rose hinted on her cheeks. _She must be cold._

Link had gathered wood from a nearby small forest, and had barely managed to start a fire (it took him quite a while to get it going). Regina was sitting against a nearby tree, drawing pictures on the dirt with a twig.

"Are you hungry?" Link asked her.

She looked up to him. "Yes, but I can hold for a day more."

Link perked up. "No, I saw an apple tree when I gathered wood. I'll get you some."

Link had not a clue why he was so caring for her all of a sudden, but he went off to fetch a few apples and roasted them over the open fire.

After eating silently, Link felt exausted, but he had vowed to give up his rest.

"Are you sure you want to stay up all night? I could get up earlier if needed." Regina felt terrible for denying him rest.

Link nodded. "We will leave at dawn anyway, I can manage to withold myself."

"Okay, I suppose I'll get some rest then. Goodnight, Link."

He gave her a warm smile. "Goodnight."

She was lying on the ground, using the soft green grass as her pillow and her dark cloak as a blanket. _Smart._

Link strayed his eyes away from her, looking into the starry night above him. Somewhere in the sky, his father watched. He missed his father. He was somewhere in the stars, watching him. He hoped he was proud of him. Link wondered what his father thought of him. Hopefully worthy to be the son of such an admirable general. Link did not know for sure.

Link looked around, and Regina seemed to be asleep already. He had to admit, he admired her strong personallity and her sarcasm. Also, she was pretty cute.

Link blushed at the thought. _No, stop it Link!_ He faced away from her. But it was true. And now, Link didn't know if he could deal with it.

Setting that aside, Link picked up the book, and read, trying his best to forget the subject.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Link's eyelids were heavier than his burdens.

The sun was rising on the horizon, but he had not a second of sleep since he promised to look out for monsters. How he regretted it so badly! He finished reading the book two hours ago, and was left with a battle to keep hismelf awake. On top of that, no monsters were even nearby.

Meanwhile, Regina was still sleeping beautifully with such peace. It made him a little jealous, getting to rest for a few hours. The journey today would be tough for him.

He didn't want to awaken her, since she was so peacefully asleep, but he had to. Link put his hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her wide awake. "Regina, time to wake up!"

It wasn't even difficult for her to arise. Regina woke up flawlessly, just like a princess. No complaints or groaning, just a soft, soundless, yawn.

"Oh, already?" she said softly. "That went by so quickly."

"Not for me," Link said. "The sun is almost fully up, so we have to get going quickly."

"Okay then." Link stood, helping Regina to her feet.

"Shouldn't we eat first?" she asked. "I'm starving."

Link sighed. "I only have some apples from yesterday."

"That works for me..." said Regina.

Link handed Regina an apple. "I can eat this while riding my horse, so we can hurry."

She then inspected the river in front of them. It was wide, with rapid currents. After the river were hills and cliffs leading up to the domain. Her face showed rebuttal. "Now that I think about it, can our horses manage to climb such steep hills and cliffs? From what I've heard, the domain is hard to get to."

"But where would we leave our horses?" asked Link.

"That's the problem. I don't know where. I guess perhaps we should take them with us? It would take longer to get to the domain though."

Something in Link's mind went against it. "I think we have to leave our steed. We can hide them and leash them in a hidden area, such as... over there." Link pointed to a small grouping of trees, where it seemed to be safe.

Regina glanced at Link. "I suppose so. I hope that this is okay for them." She didn't seem very fond of the idea.

After Link and Regina tied the leashes to trees, they headed towards a large suspension bridge, leading on the path to Zora's Domain.

The river had quite a current; it would have been fun and quite extrodinary to push Ruby in there. How he wished for that. Sadly, she was gone...

The path was steep. Link figured it would take a while to climb the slope. He and Regina trudged up the hill, his legs burning from five seconds on impact.

"Quite the climb, am I right?" Regina laughed as she was becoming ahead of him.

"Are you making fun of me?" asked Link, playfully.

"You're very slow. You can take heavy impacts from monsters, but you cannot climb a steep hill faster than a lazy adviser?" She giggled, then ran off.

Link rolled his eyes, and attempted to run. Regina beat him to the top by a half minute. When he reached the top, he could see the domain in the distance, and cliffs barricaded it. It was breathtaking to him, very stunning. _Stunning like R-_

"Lets go, Link." Regina patted his shoulder. "We have to beat the daylight."

They proceeded to the domain, following the trail to an edge of a cliff.

"This is strange," Link said. "The trail ends here..."

"Well isn't that spectacular! We can jump off and into the water below." Regina sang sarcastically.

"Okay. let's jump down." Link was preparing himself for quite a leap.

"That was a joke, Link. A joke." Regina stated. "Don't take this seriously!"

Link glared at her. He wanted to give up, but he could not let Hyrule die because of of a simple thing. He needed to go. Also, it was a chance to annoy her.

Link backed himself up, and ran, jumping into the open river below. He splashed, flopping into the river. It was quite painful.

"Hey!" Regina called from up above. "I was joking! You're such an idiot!"

Link swam up to air as a girl was jumping off the cliff.

"AHHH!" Regina screamed. Her arms were wavering around.

 _Splash!_

She came to surface, her face and hair soaked in water. She coughed a few times.

"Link! Did you not hear me?! I was only _kidding_ about jumping into the river! You... IDIOT!"

He smirked, wanting to laugh at her reaction. It was quite adorable when she became upset.

The duo swam to shore. Link laughed at the sight of Regina, she looked like a cat who accidentally got into water. Regina gave him a cold, hard stare. She was _pissed._ Very pissed indeed.

"Excuse me, but are you Hylians?"

Someone spoke from behind them. Both turned around to see a very tall, broad, strange shark-like creature before them.

"Yes?" Link replied.

The face filled with delight. "Thank Hylia!"

Regina and Link exchanged looks of confusion. What in the world?

"My name is Maphion. And I'm the Prince of Zoras!" He smiled brightly, his teeth shining more than the hot sun. _[Familliar personallity?- A.R]_

"Pardon, but why must you need Hylians?" asked Link. _Why not Gorons_?

"Because my whole Domain is starving and need something to eat!" Maphion licked his lips slowly.

 _What?_ _As a meal?_

Maphion laughed histerically. "I'm only kidding. Your expressions were hillarious!"

 _Oh._ Link felt foolish.

"Anyway, our domain is okay, despite the fact that monsters are attacking us now and wierd _Purple liquid_ is spilling out from somewhere from our sacred temple. Two of our citizens are already injured severley with fevers and sickness."

Link noticed how Regina flinched at the mention of the poison.

"We believe the liquid is from one of the streams of the temple. Since Hylians are smarter and can reach these places better, can you help stop the flow? We Zoras cannot go fix it."

Link and Regina nodded. He would also gain the opprotunity to awaken the sage of water, which was needed to defeat Henrad.

"Bless your hearts! I don't mean to rush, but I can give you a ride to the domain. Are you fine with that? We really need to stop the problem instantly. Zoras can die."

"Yeah," Link said. "Of course!"

"Great. And I was meaning to ask this. Did you jump off that cliff?"

They both nodded slowly.

"That's the hiking trail you came from then. If you wanted a smooth path to bring horses they you should have gone through the trading route. For some reason, the trading routes don't show up on maps."

Link smacked his head. _I'm not the brightest, sharpest tool in the shed, am I?_

After a strange ride, Maphion, Regina, and Link entered the Zora's domain. They recieved odd stares from the Zora race as Maphion led them up many levels of marble stairs.

After what seemed like years, They arrived in a throne room. The walls were water and pure glass marble. It must've taken centuries to build such a room.

"Father? I found Hylians! They agreed to help us!" Maphion exclaimed.

Link and Regina looked up to find a massive Zora sitting on a throne chair.

"I see. Do they know everything about our latest incidents?" asked the King.

"Yes father," Maphion replied. "They do know of it."

"Thank you. Hylians, are you really willing to go into our temple to stop the poison?"

"Yes," Link said.

"Great. I believe the poison is coming from one of the streams that run from the inside to outside the temple. The purple liquid has hurt few citizens severly so far. If it wasn't for Ruta doing her daily ritual cleanse, we all could have died from such a vile poison."

"Where is Ruta anyway?" Maphion asked. "I haven't seen her at all this morning."

"I have no clue. Probably giving free sea bass to children. Ruta! Come here!"

A blue Zora with a red scarf stepped from the staircase. "I was just about to ask for a word with you, my father."

Ruta walked closer, noticing Link and Regina. "Hylians?" she asked, curious.

Maphion nodded. "Indeed."

"Thank Hylia. I was about to report that another Zora just became injured and almost died. The pools of water have been contaminated now with the liquid. The poison is spreading even more! I'm quite worried, father."

"Oh boy," the king said. "This is not so good."

"Now we have someone to help," Maphion said. "They have agreed to lend us a hand."

"What are your names?" Ruta asked.

"Link," Link said.

"I'm Regina." She spoke quietly.

"Lovely. Link, Regina, Thank you for taking your time and helping us. "

She turned towards the king. "I have concerns of why this was caused. Remember that strange girl that visited us recently?"

"Who?" Maphion asked. "Remind me again."

"That purple-haired girl with those strange reddened eyes. She threatened us about _not letting her in the temple..._ After that, I found the poisoned water. It seems connected if you ask me."

Link's eyes widened. It was that girl. That stupid girl. "Clarisse."

"Pardon?" Ruta said. "What was it you said?"

"The girl you're talking about. We know her, and she's always up to nothing so swell. It was definetly her who poisoned the waters. In fact, she used that poison on me recently."

"Two days ago, to be exact," Regina spoke.

Ruta and Maphion were completley shocked. "What if she went inside our temple?" Maphion said.

"What if she's still there?" Ruta asked.

"Well, she is most likely in there trying to awaken your sage."

"Ruto?!" Ruta said. "But why?"

"Plans to revive the Great Ganondorf," Regina muttered. "Nothing so great."

"WHAT?" Ruta and Maphion shouted.

"How? Who?" Ruta said.

"Using cold royal blood on Ganondorf's ashes. Planned by Henrad," Regina told them.

"How did we not hear about this?" Said Maphion. "This is horrid! Absolutley Horrible!"

"There are many secrets held in this kingdom," Regina stated. "It's surprising about how many people aren't aware of these recent incidents."

"So this bizzare lady is helping the presumed dead Henrad? By trying to awake Ruto, our sage? I knew there was more to this," said Ruta, upset.

"We know how to stop her," Link claimed. "Regina and I will take care of this. Your sage will not be harmed."

"But," Regina said. "We have to awaken your sage either way."

"Why?" asked Maphion. "You side with her?"

"Heavens, no." Regina stated. "Link here, is the chosen hero."

Mouths opened wide in awe.

"Our mission is to save Hyrule, but we need to aquire the help of ancient sages. Clarisse needs sages to take away our chances of defeating Henrad. We need them so stop his act."

"I understand," said Ruta. "As long as Ruto is not harmed or used for evil, you may awaken her."

"Thank Hylia for both of you," the King said. "I don't want some whiny Witch to ruin our precious water. Ruta, Maphion, show these Hylians to the Sacred Temple."

"Yes father," Said Ruta.

Maphion nodded.

Ruta and Maphion led them out of the throne room.

"The temple is right outside our domain," said Maphion. "It is filled with quite some water, so there would be plenty of swimming. Ruta, do you think we should give zora armor or something?"

"There's only one set of Armor left, and we can't give it away." Ruta said.

"What if we let Link borrow it just for this mission, and we give Regina a Golden scale?"

"I suppose so," said Ruta. "Come, we will get the swimming armor and scale."

They were led to a room next to a large waterfall. Inside was a huge wardrobe with mirrors all around the room.

Ruta opened the wardrobe, taking out a blue tunic with engraved silver plating. It had some sort of cap as well. Ruta handed the clothing to Link. She pointed towards another door. "You can change in there, if you like."

Link nodded and left to change.

Ruta then pulled a small wooden box out of the wardrobe. Opening it, the box let out rays of light, lighting up the room even more. Ruta pulled out a tiny clear pearl, inside was a petite, golden triangle.

"This is one of our golden scales, crafted by Zora Technologists," Ruta told Regina.

"How exactly do you, uh, install it in a Hylian?" Regina asked.

Ruta laughed. " You won't be harmed. Hold it on the center of your palm. It will melt at the heat of a Hylian hand."

Regina held out her palm, and the scale was placed on the center. Within seconds, the pearl melted into her hand, completley dissappearing.

"Wasn't so bad, right?" Ruta giggled

"Yeah." Regina said. "Not at all."

Link walked out, dressed in Zora Armor. To Regina, it made him... uh..

Ruta smiled. "Well, a perfect fit!"

Link walked around posing in goofy ways, impersonating a model, seemingly trying to impress her with his arms. Regina giggled.

"You should get going," Maphion said. "We don't have much time until all the water becomes poisoned."

Link nodded. They departed the room.

Maphion and Ruta led them past the center of the domain, where the contaminated pools where. Guards were guarding the area, but there was vile purple water all around there.

"Our temple is located just outside." Ruta said. "Our temple used to be in Lake Hylia, but due to destruction, we had to rebuild a few centuries ago."

"How'd you move Ruto?" asked Link.

"Ruto was alive then. A war destroyed the temple. When she passed, she sealed herself in some sort of crystal. It hasn't been touched since."

That was interesting.

Finally, they stopped in front of a lake just outside of Zora's domain. There, in the cliff above it, was a small entrance in crystal marble. The water all around was darkened with the poison.

"Here we are," Ruta said. "Not all of the water inside is contaminated yet, but please do be careful."

Link nodded.

"I do wish you luck, Link and Regina. And if you do stumble across that girl, try your best to stop her."

"We will," Regina said, waving goodbye. She then slipped into the temple.

"I am sure she's in there," Link said. "But we'll make sure she doesn't do anything to Ruto. I promise."

"Thank you, Link. You're generosity is quite marvelous," said Ruta. "Please, do be careful."

"I believe in you Link!" Maphion said.

With a smile across his face, Link entered the temple of water slowly, nervous of what was to come.

 **A/N: Check my bio for updates! Like now lol bye**


	18. Chapter Eighteen

The entrance to the temple was quite grand.

There was a marble stone staircase leading down to an open room full of semi-clear water. There were elegant lotus mosaic designs on the floor, and pillars of turquoise supported the high chiseled marble ceiling. Waterfalls fell from the walls, and there were crystal chandeliers flowing from the ceilings. Lilys floated in the clear pond, lighting up the majestic entrance. Silver lanterns hung from posts. Link spotted one pond filled with the poison.

Regina seemed to be in such awe of the temple. Her face filled with delight as she looked and observed. She then looked back towards Link with her deep, ocean blue eyes. Her eyes pierced into his soul, which made a strange feeling run through his entire body.

"Not even the castle is so grand," Regina told Link. "I could stay here for decades if we weren't in such a rush." She walked slowly in front of Link, her hand accidentally brushing his. Oof.

"Shouldn't we try to find the source of the poison?" asked Link.

"Sorry. I'll try my best to stay on task. It's just that I'm all new to this exploring. Something quite intriguing as this makes me excited."

Link and Regina walked towards the pond of purple water. Link observed, finding that the water flowed into a grate that led to the next room.

"Regina," he said. "Over there." he pointed at what he had seen.

"Smart," she replied. "Let's go, shall we?"

Link nodded. There was a door, of course, on the side with the poisoned water. Link walked through first, entering slowly. Regina followed him, cautious.

The next room was darker, but things were still visible to the eye. The dark violet water streamed into the room, flowing then again into another grate against the wall. This time, however, no door led to the source, but there was a door that led to clear water.

Regina had noticed it as well. "I assume we should go through here?"

Link nodded. "It seems reasonable."

Into another room they went, but it was confusing. It was a smaller room, with just a square of deep water.

Link knelt down, looking into the water. He observed. "There's a passageway through the water."

"What?" Regina said, surprised. "You mean we should swim through it?"

"I wasn't planning on it, but thanks for the idea." Link smirked at her, and jumped into the water.

"Dear Hylia on Earth," Regina muttered. "Not again." Regina proceeded to reluctantly jump into the water along with him.

Link was underwater, swimmimg through. The passage consisted of seaweed and gigantic bubbles of air, reasonable for breathing. Whenever Link came across one, he didn't hesitate to inhale.

He turned, spotting Regina behind him. With that in mind, he kept on going, not looking back towards her one bit. She should be fine.

He kept going, feeling like he'd been swimming for decades. Luckily, Ruta had given him armor, making it easier for him to swim with ease.

Finally, he saw an opening, and swam up to the surface. He lifted himself out of the water, then stood, soaked with the cool water. Link observed this next area, spotting once again the poisoned water. Thank Hylia, they could follow the rivers of poison again.

"Regina," Link said. "Do you think we're close to the source? I think we are."

There was complete silence that answered him. Was she mad at him or something? Maybe the fact he jumped into the water made her pissed once more.

Link turned around to find her missing.

"Regina?" he called for her, a bit concerned.

He checked his surroundings, but there wasn't a single sign of her exsistence.

"Regina!"

No answer. Just pure silence.

Shoot. He had lost her. Only the worst thoughts poured into his mind. What if she abandoned him? Or Clarisse did something terrible...

Link scurried back into the water, swimming as much as the Zora Suit would let him. Oh goddesses, he thought. She's probably dead by now. Luckily, she was not taken by Clarisse. Link spotted her, rushing to be by her side. When he reached her, he shook her, but she didn't respond with the motion.

He couldn't scream her name, he didn't know what was wrong. In the heat of the moment, he only thought of the worst. Then he saw it- a long piece of slimy seaweed was entangled around her ankle.

Oh boy. Link didn't even bother looking behind himself. And now, she was supposedly dead. Gone. Her hate for him must've been her last thought. She had struggled, and he didn't notice, causing her death. It was all his fault.

Grabbing his sword, he cut the seaweed in half, setting her free. He grabbed her waist, and swam as quickly as possible. Link was trying his best to remain calm. His eyes were stinging, but he wasn't sure if they were tears or caused by the fact his eyes were open in water.

It had only been a few seconds, but it felt like years when he swam back up to the surface with her. He pushed her up onto the floor, and then hoisted himself up. Regina lied there, her face paler than Clarisse's.

Link didn't know what to do. He tried saving her. He tried to put air into her lungs. No response. He tried to push the water out. It didn't seem to work. All hope was lost. All his hope was lost.

"Wake up!" Link pushed her stomach hard. She then suddenly coughed. Link did it more and more, and she finally responded, coughing up water on the grey floors.

She sat up and saw Link before her. Her eyes were bloodshot and confusion flooded her face.

"Link?" she called for him.

Thank the Goddesses she was okay.

" Hey Regina," Link softly answered.

"What happened to me?" she asked. "Did I faint or something? Almost die by a tornado?"

"Well," Link hesitated. "You kind of...Well... Kind of drowned."

"WHAT?"

"Sorry!" Link said. "Your ankle got caught and you drowned. I have no clue how you're alive, you weren't responding for a few minutes."

"Is that why your eyes are red?" she asked. "You cried?" Link assumed she was joking, but Link didn't know how he felt when he found her seemingly lifeless, her face without the usual beautiful personallity, all pale like snow.

"Still got humor, don't you?" he replied. Regina laughed at him.

"Gosh, you know when I joke. Anyway, thanks for coming back for me, I guess."

Link stood, offering his hand to her. She grabbed it, and pulled herself up. Link noticed how close... she was... to him...

"Is that the water?" she asked, pointing to what Link had seen earlier.

"Yep! Shall we go into the next room?" he offered.

"What do you think, idiot? Heck yeah." she ran infront of him, running to where the water led to next. "I have a feeling Clarisse killed me."

"How so?" he asked her.

"How does seaweed tangle around my ankle when the seaweed is short and I could easily rip it off?"

It seemed reasonable. "You may be right," Link said as she waited for him next to the door.

They entered into the next room, and boy: the poison was everywhere. This had to be the source. It had to. Link and Regina ran to the beginning of the pond, where it was.

"This has to be it," Link said. "But how does one purify such water?"

"Distillation?" Regina suggested.

"Don't get all geeky here," Link said. "Unless that is our only solution."

"How about this, there isn't a solution." Neither Link or Regina said that. They both turned around to find her: there was no mistaking that pale skin, red eyes, and violet hair...

"Well, look who noticed me!" she said in delight. "The wonderful Hero and his beautiful girlfriend."

"We are not dating," Regina mumbled at her.

"Sure. I'm surprised you're still here, Renee." Clarisse hissed.

"It's Regina," she corrected her.

"Whatever. You should have been dead. Damn. But hey, I thank my lucky stars you fell once again into my trap."

 _Clarisse tried killing her?_

"It really isn't a trap," Link said truthfilly. "It's more of a encounter."

"Did I ask to be corrected?" Clarisse yelled. "I did not ask. I only ask you give up."

"Not a chance," Link said.

"Ah, I forgot this hero has courage. But not strength nor power! You'll never learn that courage doesn't make you win." Clarisse hissed.

"Should I remind you of our last battle?" Regina said. "Didn't you loose?"

"Shut up!" Clarisse yelled. "I was going easy on you. This time, you'll really feel my wrath!"

"Sure." Link said sarcastically. "Your terrible wrath. Oh, how horrid! How it terrifies my soul."

At this point, Regina and Link were messing with Clarisse.

"How your power brings down mice!" Regina exclaimed. "So powerful, an ant is killed before our very eyes!"

"I must surrender!" Link said. "To thy power, the power that can sieze a ladybug!" Link snorted.

"Strong enough to pin down a dried leaf!" Regina started to laugh, as well as Link, who slapped his knee intentionally.

Clarisse growled. "Fools! You don't see the power I have now. The power Henrad has granted me. Oh, you won't be fighting me today."

Link stared at Regina, scrunching his eyebrows. Regina shrugged in response.

"I made a little friend. It took work, but she finally agreed to help me. Oh Ruto! Come here!"

Something crashed through the floor. It had several tentacles, one yellow eye, razor sharp teeth, and roared in anger. Could that be... the sage?

"Ruto, you've heard of this nonsense of stopping Henrad. But you've agreed to protect him at all costs, using your devine power to sieze Zelda, right?" Clarisse smirked.

It had roared again in response.

"Your power can search the seas, rivers , lakes, and streams to find such a lovely princess. Now Ruto, these two fools here want to stop your amazing work. Your work that will reward you. How could you let them take away your victory? You must do something!" Clarisse was so fake.

The monster of a sage screamed. Its eye gazed straight towards Link, like it knew everything about him.

"Ruto, don't hesitate because you knew this man in a past life. Go! fight him. Fight them. Don't let these lowlives take away your dreams!" Clarisse's laughter was mechanical.

With a snap of her fingers, the door behind them disappeared, and Clarisse had vanished into air.

It was just Link, Regina, and Ruto. The monster edged towards the two of them, hungry to kill the both of them. In an instant, Link saw one tentacle fall towarss Regina. He ran over towards her instantly, blocking it with his shield. Regina scrambled to her feet, thankful Link had saved her. She took her bow out and began to aim at its eye.

Link drew his sword from its sheath, ready to fight. A tentacle came barreling down st him, and he sliced at the tentacle, cutting it off.

"Link!" Regina yelled at him. "If you cut the tentacles off, then we could make her defenseless, so she can stop covering her eye so I can shoot at her."

"Good plan!" Link yelled back at her.

Link did what he was told, slicing off the tentacles as they came towards him. He cut all of them off, then Regina shot her eye several times.

The monster seemed to become weak at first, but suddenly, the tentacles grew back, slime falling down its new tentacles.

"Gross," Regina exclaimed, scrunching her nose.

"They grow back." Link became frustrated.

"Just keep on cutting, then!" Regina yelled as she dodged a slamming tentacle.

Link obeyed. Every chance he got, he used his sword to chop the tentacles off. The creature kept screaming as Link injured her more and more.

Finally, the tentacles were all cut off once again. Link surely hoped they wouldn't grow back.

Regina shot Ruto in the eye once more; Ruto fell to the ground.

"Link!" Regina yelled.

He already knew what she was going to say. He ran over to Ruto, using a flurry of attacks against her monsterous body. She screamed and moaned in pain, but then stood up once more...

"Hylia," said Regina. "She won't give up."

The tentacles did not only grow back, but the amount doubled. Link became frustrated.

"Here we go again..." he mumbled.

Link did the same routine, cut off, cut off, blah blah. He wasn't thinking correctly. He didn't focus, he was off guard. Sadly, a tentacle slammed onto his body, sending waves of pain throughout him. Link screamed in pain.

"Link!" Regina yelled, running towards him. She pushed him out of the way as another tentacle came flying towards him once more.

"Are you okay?" her tone was filled with worry.

"I'm good." Determined, Link stood back to his feet, and reached for his sword.

Concentrating, he released a flurry of attacks on each tentacle that came towards him, trying to grab him. Regina did the best she could to weaken her vision.

Link cut off the last tentacle, the monster falling down once more. He ran towards Ruto, releasing all the energy he had left in his body through his sword. He hated this.

The monster screamed and yelled, its head moving up and down. She collapsed to the floor, and turned into ash.

Link and Regina ran to the ash, with both the same thing in mind: find Ruto.

They dug through the ash with their hands, touching something scaly. Link looked towards Regina and nodded. That was Ruto, the real one.

Link lifted her from the ash, carrying her body. Did he kill her?

He hadn't. After Link placed her down, she immediatley awoke, looking straight at Link.

"My, oh my," Ruto said. "Aren't you a identical copy of the hero back in my day. I do say, you may be a bit more handsome!"

Regina snorted when she saw Link's face turn redder than a tomato.

"R-really?" Link stuttered.

"Yes, but I'm centuries older than you, sadly. Now let's get to buisness, shall we?" Ruto chuckled.

"Sure thing," Regina reponded.

Suddenly, light had surrounded them, and they ended up back in the Realm of Sages.

Ruto stood on her crest. "Looks like you got Saria and Daurina all here," she said.

"That's good, but there are still three more to find."

"Where are the others?" asked Link.

"I'm not so aware of where they lie," Ruto replied. "Shadow Temple, Spirit Temple, you know. I would ask a Sheikah."

"Good idea," said Link.

Ruto smiled. "Thank you. I have something for you, wait." She pulled a deep blue medallion from thin air.

"Yes, another medallion, but what for?" she said. "You'll find out soon enough." she placed it into Link's palm.

"Thank you," he told her.

"No, thank you. I don't want to delay your journey any further, kids. I'll send you back."

"But the water?" asked Link. "We didn't fix it."

"I'll take care of it, no worries." Ruto replied.

She waved her arm, and Link and Regina started to see the light once more.

"And young woman," Ruto said to Regina. "Be thankful you're on a journey with such a stunning man!" she laughed. Regina rolled her eyes.

They appeared right outside the temple. It was near sunset, since Link could see the orange sun turn the sky into a pallette of colors.

Link looked towards Regina, who was looking in the opposite direction of him. Her golden brown hair flowed gracefully in the direction of the wind, and her dress went along with it. The way she was... _Oh_ _goodness_ , _stop_ , Link thought to himself, feeling blood rush to his cheeks. Why had he been taking more notice of her recently? _Maybe it's just a phase_ , he decided to conclude.

"Shall we find Ruta and Maphion?" asked Regina.

"I think we should," he replied.

Together, they walked back to Zora's domain, looking for them. When they reached the throne room, they saw Ruta and Maphion, who looked like they were in an intense game of chess.

"Hello?" Link aimed for their attention.

Ruta and Maphion sprung up in surprise. "You're back?" said Ruta. "Marvelous! How did it go?" she asked.

"Well..." Link hesitated. "The poison should be gone now."

"Thank Hylia!" Maphion exclaimed. "Did you see Sage Ruto?"

Link nodded. "We did. She's safe." he ensured them.

"Oh heavens, thank you!" Ruta said. "I know it isn't much, but would you like to join my family for dinner?"

Regina and Link gladly accepted.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Link awoke by the sudden light that hit his eyes quite painfully. He slowly opened them, spotting Regina moving curtains away from the window to enjoy the view of the domain. She was already dressed: hair ready, and with a cup of tea in her hand.

He slowly removed the bedsheets that lay ontop of him. His muscles felt sore and he barely had any energy to get out of bed. Regina then noticed Link, who's head was hanging low.

"Exausted?" she asked him, turning her focus back to the window.

"Yeah..." Link groaned.

"Understandable. Me too, but we have to leave to gather our horses. Remember we kind of abandoned them in the woods?"

Link had a sudden rush of energy. His horse could be dead. Not Epona...

"Let me dress and grab my sword," Link told her. "Wait here." Link ran in the washroom to get himself dressed.

"I wasn't going to go anywhere anyway," Regina mumbled, smirking.

After saying goodbye to Ruta, Maphion, and the rest of the Zora race, Link and Regina retrieved their horses as fast as possible. They must have been hungry, those poor steed.

Luckily for them, the horses were still alive, happily grazing in the tall grass. Link let out a sigh of relief. He untied Epona's leash and put it away in her satchel that was attached at her side. Regina was already on her horse when he finished.

"Aren't you slow today?!" She mocked him. Link ignored her, jumping on top of his golden horse.

"Where are we heading?" he asked, groaning.

"How am I supposed to know?" she asked. "I don't know."

Link sighed. "Sorry. I'll just go somewhere then."

Regina nodded, waiting for Link to get moving.

Link quietly rode his horse back onto the path they went on through the Lillian Woods. He had no clue where they were going to go to next, which was a problem.

"Link," Regina called from behind him.

He stopped, and turned his Epona to face her.

"I have an idea," She smirked. "If the sages we are awakening are the same sages in the Legend of the Hero of Time, do you suppose we could do research with some books to know where the next sages are located?"

Damn, she was smart. Beautifully smart.

"I didn't even think of that. Good idea, Regina. Where would we find history books?"

Regina thought for a moment. "I believe Marinette has a study full of history books, because I found one about the Dark War. I'm sure she will be happy to help us."

"So, back to Kakariko?" Link asked.

"Yes," She confirmed.

 ** _Kakariko_**

"What type of history books are you looking for?" asked Marinette, looking around the old bookshelf in her husband's study.

"Any on the journey of the Hero of Time?" asked Link.

She scanned through the books. "Letter H, letter H..."

She pulled a large, dusty book out of the shelf.

"Aha!" Marinette beamed. "The Adventures of the Hero of Time."

She handed the book over to Link. "Does it contain the information you need?"

Link scuffled through the pages. Chapter 10 was titled 'Green medallion'. He skipped to chapter 20, which was named 'The final battle'. He went too far. He flipped back to a page. He read through it. It talked about a temple haunted by shadows and filled with voids of darkness. What temple could it be? He scanned further and found a sentence: " _The Shadow Temple was located in a small graveyard in the village of Kakariko, but the graveyard is no longer used. Today, the graveyard is considered haunted and cursed, leading to no visitors whatsoever."_

"Regina," Link said. "It's in the graveyard of this village."

"Graveyard? Who would design a temple to be in a graveyard?" Regina was confused.

"The graveyard..." Marinette mumbled. "I've been told that whoever enters is bound to die by a ghostly king."

"Well," Regina sighed. "Isn't that wonderful? A temple in a death trap."

Link slightly agreed. "Let's hope that those stories aren't true. The only monster I want to encounter is Henrad himself."

Regina scoffed. "You simply don't have the right sword to do that yet."

Link didn't know what that meant. "My sword is good though!"

"Whatever. I'm sure he wouldn't be there. Anyway, probably the ghostly king thing is just rumors. I am not worried." Regina sighed.

"You may be right," said Marinette.

Before Link could speak, the door in the study suddenly burst open. There stood Adrien, Marinette's husband, and a older woman with dark hair.

"Marinette," said the woman. "We have a problem."

"What's wrong?" asked Marinette.

"We found out were some prisoners were enslaved," Adrien told her.

"Wait, what?" Marinette faced towards him.

"Your father found it hidden between the twin cliffs," said the woman. "He saw a few girls in poor condition, being worked to death. Also, there were knights wearing the crest of Henrad's army. We need to check the situation."

Link glanced over to Regina, who seemed to be thinking the same thing as him. There was a possibility that Cherry and Ruby were there.

"When shall we leave?" asked Marinette. "Maybe Link and Regina can help us."

"Wait," the old woman paused. "These are Link and Regina?" she pointed at them.

Marinette nodded.

"Oh, wonderful!" she exclaimed. "Marinette has told me many things of you. I am Sabine, Marinette's mother."

"Nice to meet you," said Link.

"What will we do?" asked Marinette. "Will we shut down Henrad's slave base?"

"That's the plan. He is trying to look for Zelda within the girls. If Zelda happens to be one of the girls, we must act quickly before he finds out."

Regina shifted uncomfortably. "How would you like us to help?" she asked.

"Help us ambush," Sabine told them. "I plan to invade at night, sneak in, kill the guards, then release the prisoners. Also, find Zelda if she's there."

"Good plan," Link said. "We should start heading over there soon."

 ** _The Raid_**

Link, Regina, Sabine, Adrien, and Marinette hid behind the bushes on one of the twin cliffs. It was about ten at night, and Link had seen the girls be forced inside the old looking building.

"They should be on night watch now," said Adrien. "So when we enter, we seperate. Try not to get caught by any guard. When you find the prisoners, free them as quietly as possible."

"Adrien," said Sabine. "Go with Marinette. Link, search with Regina. I'll fend for myself. Please be careful. When you find the girls, please, as quietly as possible. "

Link nodded. With that, they all separated.

Regina silently ran down the cliff with Link. The first obstacle was a gate, guarded by rebel knights. Link had an idea.

"Regina, shoot them."

"W-what?" She panicked. "Now?"

"Yes, now." Link tried not to laugh.

Regina took her bow, steadied herself, and shot. A guard fell down from his watch tower. One seemed notice and checked to see what happened. Regina then shot the other one.

"Clear?" she asked.

Link nodded. "Indeed."

They snuck past the gate and watchtowers, and proceeded to find a way inside. Link spotted an entry, but two knights were guarding it. There were also more towers with spotlights moving around.

"We have to be careful," Link told Regina. "We get hit by light, we're doomed."

"Okay," Regina whispered back.

He led her, sneaking around bushes and towers. They would hide every so often to stay out of light's way. It was miraculous that they were close to the entry. Link and Regina hid in the shrubs, trying to find a way to enter quietly.

"Snipe them," Was all Link commanded Regina.

She bit her lip and readied her bow. She released an arrow, hitting one knight in his chest. The other knight turned towards the dead one. "Who goes there?" He asked, frightened.

Regina responded with relasing an arrow into his chest. He fell, kissing the grass with his body.

"It's been done," Regina said. "Now what?"

Link headed towards the door. "We sneak in."

He held open the creaky door for Regina, carefully trying not to drag attention. Once cautiously closing the door, Link led her, around the corridors of the strange military base. Link hid behind a wall at the sight of knights.

"What is-"

Link shushed Regina, waiting for them to disappear. After what seemed like a few hours, he stood, finding them gone. "They were knights. Rebel Knights." Link responded to Regina.

"You didn't want me to shoot them?" Regina asked.

"Not this time. Now that I think about it, don't shoot anymore. We should follow them to see if they lead us to the room we are looking for."

"Great plan detective," Regina muttered.

Link shushed her again, hearing the clanking of metal armor echo down the hall. More of them were approaching.

"Get ready," Link whispered to her.

She responded with a nod.

They stood silent as they walked by. As they began to dissapear into the hallway, Link quietly followed them from far behind, with Regina following along.

The knights turned down a corner, and stopped in front of a door. They looked at each other, and one of them suddenly dug through their pouch and pulled out a key. He unlocked the door. " General Clarisse, we have news." The door shut quietly.

"Hmm," Link whispered. "Interesting."

"Why don't we take a listen?" Regina suggested.

"I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to listen for a minute," Link replied.

They both leaned in towards the door, close to each other, very close. Link felt himself turn red at the thought of how close she was. He could feel her breaths on the edge of his neck. It sent a shiver down his spine.

"After the execution of a prisoner," a knight was saying. "It seems that it has influenced others to stay put and not escape."

"Yes," said the other knight. "All are locked inside, asleep and shivering of cold."

"Are you sure they're sleeping?" Clarisse finally said something. "I don't trust any of them."

"Well," said a knight. "They certainly looked asleep."

Link knew an anger burst was about to happen.

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING?!" Clarisse yelled, with sounds of fists slamming the table. "They could be pretending! Are you foolish? That's exactly what the redhead did!"

"Forgive us general,'' said the other knight. "This is on us. If you'd like, we can make sure they're actually sleeping."

"That is exactly what I want," Clarisse sternly replied. "Do it now so I can visit Lord Henrad in peace. I will leave now, take care of the girls. Make sure they arrive safely tomorrow. Any of them could be Zelda."

"Yes General," both knights said in unison.

Link and Regina quickly hid behind the nearest wall to vanish from the knights. The door opened, two clanky men walking down the hall. Link quietly stalked them. The knights led them to the end of a hall, which was dark and made out of cobblestone. Cobwebs and dust surrounded corners. One of the knights pulled out a rusty key, and inserted it into the brass lock. The door slowly creaked open. The knights stepped in carefully, lantern in hand. Once they were inside, Link and Regina crept towards the door.

"Regina," Link mouthed to her. "Disreguard what I said earlier."

Regina seemed to know what he meant. Pulling her weapon out, she readied her bow, and released, piercing one knight in the heart. Before the other one could react, his heart was pierced as well.

Link ran inside the room, Regina behind him. The room was very dark, but there was enough light to see dozens of innocent girls inside cramped dark cells. All of them seemed to be asleep.

Link sprint over to the dead knight with the keys. Link took them, and approached the first cell. Before he could open it, he realized someone was at the door.

"Who's that?" he called out. Had they been caught.

The figure stepped out from the shadows. Thankfully, it was Marinette, Adrien, and Sabine.

"Sorry for giving you a fright," said Sabine. "Are these the prisoners?"

Regina nodded. "Fast asleep, in terrible conditions." Link noticed she didn't feel comfortable. But why?

Link continued to open the first door. About five girls were inside the small space. He silently woke them up. When awake, the girls were scared, but Link told them they were being rescued and to stay quiet.

One by one, Link opened the cells, girls silently piling into the center of the room. There were so many.

Link went to the last cell, where only one girl remaines by herself. He opened the door, approaching her. He woke her gently, being as careful as possible.

"Hello?" Link whispered.

The girl opened her eyes, just staring in awe at him.

"Am I dreaming?" she asked.

"This is real. We've come to save you." Link gently spoke. "You are free to return home."

"No, it's not that..." she muttered. "You look like someone I know..."

She got up quickly, looked into his eyes, and immediatley started to weep.

"Link!" she started to sob. He opened his arms, then as she fell into them, he realized who she was. It was Ruby, his dear sister. She was safe! Thank the Goddesses!

Link felt tears sting into his eyes. It was only days, but felt like weeks when he last saw Ruby. Now, he was here, and she was safe.

"You came back for me," she said, in the middle of her joyful cries. Link held to her, happy to be next to her once more.

She finally let go of him, still crying. He smiled at her, then turned to face Regina and Sabine.

"Now," he said. "How are we going to get them all out?"

Adrien suddenly beamed. "We found a secluded entrance that no one guards. If we stay silent, then they all can escape."

"Sounds good," Regina said.

Link agreed. "Okay, now ladies, stay silent and follow us."

They all walked out, following Adrien to the exit. There were no encounters with guards of any sort. One by one, the young girls filed out the exit, finally tasting freedom.

Link finally came out, catching up to Ruby and the others. They walked silently to the village with the group of prisoners, where they planned to keep them for the night.

Link was happy to finally free his sister, but still something didn't quite feel right. What could it-

 _Cherry._ How could he forget? How did he forget? He didn't even bother looking for her. Where was she? She certainly had to be there.

"Ruby," asked Link. "Where is Cherry?"

She stopped dead in her footsteps. "I'm sorry, who?" Ruby's voice cracked.

"Cherry, the mayor's daughter?" Link asked, confused. Did Ruby forget as well?

Regina ran to Link, jumping next to him. "I didn't realize you were gone. What's up?"

"Oh yeah, her..." Ruby mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Link asked.

"Well, she was with me. We shared the same dirty cell. A few nights ago, she decided she wanted to escape."

"She escaped?" Link asked, stunned. What if she was already back at the Village.

"Well yeah, at least she tried to." Ruby cracked. Ruby started to avoid eye contact with Link. This confused him. What was going on?

"She offered me to go with her, but I didn't. So that night she attempted to, but one of the vassals caught her by a watch tower. She was brought before Clarisse, and..." Ruby stopped, shaking.

"Ruby?" he called. Suddenly, Link froze. The worst thought entered his mind. It couldn't be true, it had to be something else!

 _"That's exactly what the redhead did!"_ Those words Clarisse said earlier connected all of a sudden.

Oh no," Regina gasped. She realized what happened.

"They decided to burn her at the stake, in front of Henrad himself." Ruby croaked. "She's dead Link, dead like mom and dad. Cherry is gone, and there is nothing we can do about it..."

 **A/N** **Another chapter! Are you proud?**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It makes you wonder... How would a hero react when he finds out his childhood friend is dead, because of Henrad? In fact, wouldn't it be more encouraging? Who knows.**

 **Don't forget to check the bio for updates! And please, review and favorite! I would appreciate any of those. I could use some encouragement, advice, and some thoughts of yours! Tell me what you think so far.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Adina Rossi**

 **P.S: Do you like my new profile picture? I made it myself. Sadly, I can't show the entire picture. I used a different character (which doesn't belong to me) and edited to look like someone. Can you guess who? It's not me. But she is a main character in the story. Who do you think it is?**


	20. Chapter Twenty

Dead.

She was dead.

Gone.

Those words made Link fall to his knees onto the soft grass. His heart was in so much pain, it had been stabbed and ripped apart. His best friend was gone from him forever. He was too late to save her. He had failed her.

Link simply sobbed. His face down to his knees, he wept so much it seemed that he could fill all the rivers in Hyrule. What would he tell the mayor?

He was a failure. Link only felt defeat. His bones weak, he fully collapsed onto the grass, laying down.

The sound of the world was gone from his ears. He wanted to scream as loud as he could. Link wanted to kill Clarisse so badly. He wanted to slice her like bread. Clarisse to Link was worse than Henrad at this point.

Sound seemed to come back to him. The sound of his name was getting louder. Link looked up. There was no one in his sight. No one seemed to care.

"Link, please, talk to me." Link turned himself and only saw Regina sitting on the grass, touching his shoulder. She was the only person in his sight. Even Ruby was gone.

He couldn't speak. He looked at Regina, opened his mouth, but no sound. Link started to cry again. His hands covered his face. He felt arms blanket around him, and a head lean on his shoulder. He removed his hands to see Regina embracing him. She felt warm, she felt so familiar. It was like the comfort of his home. She was so relaxing, so calm, and soft...

His breathing calmed, his heart no longer beating fast. Regina seemed to notice his change in behavior, and started to loosen her arms.

"Please... Don't let go..." The words escaped Link's mouth in a whisper. He was so comfortable in her embrace. She did as she was told. Link wanted to stay in her arms forever.

It seemed like hours, but only minutes. Regina asked him once more: "Please talk to me."

"About What?" he asked.

"About what you're thinking. Let those emotions out, it's for your own good."

"Why?" he asked. He didn't really want to talk about it.

"Stand up," she commanded him. "There's a cafe where we can talk, back at the village. I'll buy you something warm, okay?" Regina stood and offered her hand.

Link stood, and took her hand.

 _y_

 _e_

 _e_

 _t_

They were the only ones inside the cafe. It was really late, but luckily it was open. Link and Regina sat down at a table next to a window. He set his weapons against the nearest wall.

"What would you like to have?" She asked. "Tea? Milk?"

Link shrugged. He didn't look at the menu. Anyway, he felt like he would throw up if he drank a sip of water.

"I'll take that as a hot chocolate," Regina said. " It's my favorite. I'll be right back." She went to the front counter to order.

Link stared outside the window.

And stared.

And looked.

And stared.

And looked.

And stared for hours.

"I ordered the drinks."

Link jumped.

"What's wrong?" Asked Regina.

"Sorry, you gave me a fright," Link said. "My mind was elsewhere."

She smiled. "It happens. So, are you ready?"

He nodded. " What do I do? I don't know where to start."

"Let it all out. Your thoughts, emotions, and feelings." Regina leaned in a bit closer. "All of it. Don't hold anything back."

He sighed. Here it goes."I don't know what to do. What is this? My childhood friend is gone. Dead. The only time I have felt like this was when my father died. Is this normal for a hero like me? Am I supposed to be sad, or get through it? Heroes usually don't cry about things, but this makes me feel like I failed her, which makes me feel unworthy to wear this Tunic. I don't know if I should cry or just move on. Maybe I should just let it go, no distractions. I should man up and not suffer through painm Why am I like this? I feel like I'm being dramatic, am I?"

Regina locked her gaze upon him warmly. "Link, I-"

"Two hot chocolates?" A waitress asked.

"Yes," Regina said. The drinks were placed in front of them. She scooted one mug towards Link, who started drinking it.

"Link," she continued. "I know exactly how you feel."

"Everyone says that." Link said between sips of his drink.

"Listen to me, Link. My sister died around the same time your father Did," Regina said. "She was the closest thing to me. I had no one left. When I cried at her funeral, members of the royal council told me I was not allowed to cry, because I needed to grow up and that crying was for children. I could never express my emotions. They never escaped me, and it hurt me badly. Even now, I feel like I can't cry without being judged. I'm not a hero, but I have felt like a failure of a person for never having the ability to control myself. You're my friend, Link. I know you haven't failed her, don't get that into your mind. It's something beyond your control. Link, you can always talk to me if something is bothering you. It's okay to grieve over your childhood friend. Don't make it a burden upon yourself. Especially if it shouldn't be a burden."

Link put his drink down. He sat in silence for a minute. She was right. He did try to save her. Even if he was quicker she would still be gone.

"Thank you, Regina." Link had someone to relate to. It was a new feeling, some strange one that entered his body. "I do feel better."

She beamed brightly. "Enjoy that cup of cocoa." She raised her mug. "It's going to get cold if you let it sit."

Link raised his mug as well, but all his drink was gone. "Well, I don't have to worry about that," Link shower her his empty mug.

"You already drank it all?" Regina exclaimed. "I haven't even taken a sip out of mine. How did it disappear so fast?"

"It's good, very good." Link laughed. "Thank you."

Regina placed her mug in front of Link. "You can have mine. I'm not that thirsty anyway."

He giggled and took a sip from her mug. "Thank you."

MOTN

Link tossed and turned in the cot he was sleeping in. It wasn't only Cherry's death keeping him awake. It was Regina.

She was too sweet to him. She was so kind and sincere, and she was so comforting. He didn't deserve her in his life.

But how could a kind girl like her be damaged goods?

It was nice that she was relatable, but she was never able to recover from emotional abuse as it seemed to him. It was emotional abuse, what those council members did to her. Why would they do that? Especially to a girl like her, a girl so delightful?

There had to be more to this. This was only a fragment of a puzzle. What had she suffered through?

It made Link wonder. She hid it so well. He had to know what she went through. He was restless, coming up with theories of what events took place in her life. Was it this? Was it that? What could it be?

If he only knew her more... Maybe he Would know...

If he only knew...

MS

"Where are we going?" Asked Ruby.

Link fixed his hair in the mirror. "Home to drop you off. "

"Why can't I be on this adventure of yours?" Ruby pouted.

"You just need to go home with Grandma. It's safer for you anyway."

Ruby ran across the hall, frustrated.

"He said no..."

Regina snickered. "You tried. But Maybe it's best for you. You can plan a prank on him for when he returns. You'll have plenty of time!"

"Good Idea!" Ruby exclaimed. "I have some ideas."

"Anyone want a slice of quiche?" Marinette yelled from her kitchen. "I just made one."

Adrien ran from out his study. "Me!" He jumped over the table.

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Besides Adrien, who wants a slice?"

"Yes Please!" Said Link, Ruby, and Regina in unison.

Marinette served the quiche on the dining table. It felt like family, just a simple meal eaten together. Link missed that. He missed the family dinners with his sister and grandma. He missed having s meal with his father in the picture.

After eating and watching Adrien devour half a pie, they said their goodbyes and left the village to return to Ordon. Marinette gave Regina the book they needed to find the other sages that needed to be awakened. She must be planning something.

The trip was not too long, but it was full of Ruby nagging Link and Regina laughing at both of them. From what he could tell, Ruby liked Regina. That was good. Who wouldn't like her? From what he knew, she was the kindest person he ever met.

Soon, a familiar scene came into his sight. It was his village. It was home. He didn't realize how much he missed his simple room and the bakery; It almost brought tears to his eyes. He jumped off his horse and ran around. What a great feeling! It soothed him so.

Regina and Ruby dismounted, Ruby smiling at the sight of her home. The other escapees from earlier were already home.

They walked to his house, knocking.

Grandma opened. She spotted Ruby, and ran right to her, embracing her for minutes and minutes. They both cried, finally happy to be with family. After weeks, they were reunited.

Once inside, they celebrated with some cakes grandma baked earlier. Link talked about his journey with Regina so far, and Ruby about how it was like to be captured. Grandma was excited, and even apologized for her earlier actions against Link. Surprisingly, it was only a burst of emotions and surprise, but she supported him in his journey. Link was very glad.

The rest of the day was splendid. Ruby and Grandma relaxed. However, Link told the mayor the news later in the day. Upon the words 'Your daughter was killed,' The Mayor fell to his knees, silently crying. Link felt so bad for him, because all he had left of his wife was gone. His only daughter was dead. Link and Regina stayed with him for a few hours, comforting him. Regina soothed him as Link cooked; The mayor ate and went to sleep fairly early.

Afterwards, they returned back to Link's house. Ruby and Grandma were already asleep, exhausted from today's events. He and Regina decided to go to bed as well to prepare as much as possible for the next part of the journey. He handed Regina a blanket to sleep on a sofa in the family room. Link wished her a goodnight, headed to his sweet, sweet bed, and tried to sleep as well...

But Link couldn't sleep again. He didn't know what was bothering him. Thoughts swirled his mind relentlessly regarding Regina... He didn't know why so. He was constantly questioning her past and what she had been through. Conclusions were being drawn about her, and he couldn't take it any longer. Restless, he snuck out his window and headed to his secret area: the hidden lake. It was one of the only things that brought him comfort and peace from his thoughts.

He sat on the shore, staring at the water in the moonlight. Thinking he was alone, he drew on the sand with his finger. He smirked at the smiley face he drew, since it looked deranged.

However, he wasn't alone.

"Can't sleep?"

Link turned to find Regina, enclosed in a blanket. She approached him closely. How long had she been standing there? Long enough to see what he drew, maybe.

"Yeah. You?" Maybe the sofa wasn't comfortable for her, or she had troublesome thoughts as well.

She nodded. "Mind if I join you?"

Link made room for her to sit next to him.

She sighed. "I feel bad for the mayor."

"Me too." Link said. "His family is all gone."

Things stayed silent for a moment. He could hear Regina humming quietly to herself a lullaby.

"How did your mother die?" Asked Regina. "I'm just curious."

Link sighed. "Childbirth. Yours?"

"Same. But because of me." She chuckled. "I wish I knew her."

"I wish I knew mine as well." He softly said. "It seems as if our lives suck."

"I agree. What's with this generation of Hyrule and bad luck? We all seem to have mothers that died of childbirth." Regina laughed silently.

"Maybe it's a curse." Link chuckled.

"A curse from Ganondorf," she said. " It makes sense. A curse that caused Clarisse to turn."

"Were you good friends?" he asked. "Since, you know her."

"Clarisse was my best friend," she replied. "She understood me and listened to me all the time. I'm not sure why she turned like this. All of this, this anger, rage, and evil, it isn't her."

"She was forced?" Link suggested.

"Most likely. I wouldn't think she would give in to pressure, but maybe she did it because she thought it was best to. Anyways, are you feeling better?"

Link nodded. "Thank you for helping me. It's nice to know I can relate to someone." Link awkwardly looked down, feeling a small amount of blood rush to his cheeks.

She smiled. "Me too. Now that I think about it, we must have lots in common. More than we know, perhaps."

"Lets find out?" Link suggested.

Regina smiled. "But how?"

"Introduce yourself as if we just met." Link took her hand and shook it.

Regina giggled. "Of course. Let me introduce myself. I'm Regina, a member of the royal council in the castle. I'm an orphan, I have no siblings, and I am sixteen years of age. I love chocolate, which is my favorite candy. My favorite meal is pretty much anything. I love reading, I love to write stories and come up with ideas. My favorite drink is Hot chocolate, my least favorite is juice. I want a dog, I love to sleep, and I love a good conversation and hug."

Link chuckled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Link, a baker in Ordon Village. I too, am an orphan, and I have one sister and a grandma. I am also sixteen years of age. I like chocolate, but I prefer eclairs and other pastries. I would eat anything for dinner as well. Reading is okay, but I prefer to practice my skills with a blade, bake, or spend time with my sister. My favorite drink is also hot chocolate, my least favorite is also juice. I want a dog, multiple of them, and I love to sleep. I live for sleep."

Regina laughed. "Well, we learned the basics."

"Yeah, we did." Link stared into her eyes. They were so mysterious, they were so perplexing... And she, she was so...

Regina leaned her head against his shoulder. He put his arm around her waist. She smelled like fresh roses in the morning dew. It was good and relaxing.

"I do have to say," Regina said. "You're pretty cool. I mean, you weren't really fond of me at first, and as was I. But you were willing to listen to me. Thank you, Link."

His heart felt warm. "Always."

She sighed in relaxation, her eyes staring at the blue water in front of them.

"I wish I could swim right now..." She muttered as she stared at the lake.

"You can't swim?" he asked.

"I can swim, I'm just to comfortable to get up." Regina yawned. "Maybe I'll do it soon."

He felt her breathing, he felt the warmth of her body against his. It felt so good.

There they sat, at the lake, Regina falling asleep. Link looked down at her once more. _Just a few more minutes..._

A few more minutes was all he needed.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

Regina first noticed the lovely scent of the fresh water mixed with the daisies, wet dew, and lavenders when she woke. The sofa she slept on was rather confortable, and it was especially relaxing with the scented candle placed beside her. She did not want to open her eyes and face her duties. Yes, everyting she and Link had been doing were for Hyrule, but it was making her extremley exhausted. She only wished to sleep longer before she had to venture back into the open to find other sages. As much as she wanted rest, Regina opened her eyes. However, she was not sleeping on a sofa, and there was no candle beside her.

Instead, she was surrounded by forest greenery with a small, clear pond in her sight. She saw the dew on the grass, with the lavenders and daisies she had noticed earlier. How did she get there?

Regina remembered. She had talked to Link late last night. She must've fell asleep. But where was Link?

She looked beside her to find the man in green sprawled on the ground, asleep. _Oh heavens,_ Regina thought. _How late is it?_

She quietly took Link's pocketwatch from his pouch, and checked the time. The clock had read 11:47 A.M.

The worst had entered her mind. It was late morning. Link's family and company were most likely already awake. His family must have found them to be missing. When they would find her sleeping next to Link, next to a hidden pond...

 _No, no, no..._

Well, that was bad. It wouldn't look innocent. His family would be questioning them and their relationship. But it wasn't like that at all. Would it be bad if his family thought...?

Regina sighed. She did like Link for who he was. He was courageous, brave, smart, and kind. If she did get to know Link more, and it did turn out into sonething more, she wouldn't mind the thought of them...

 _Dear Hylia!_ Regina shook her head at herself. _What on Earth am I thinking? Focus, Regina, Focus. Now what am I to do?_

 _Maybe I should make Link aware of this sticky situation_. Gently, she shook Link awake. He groaned, but eventualy opened his eyes, looking straight at her.

"Why are you waking me up so early?" Link said groggily. "Just a few more minutes please."

"I'm not sure if it is early. Why don't you check your pocketwatch?" Regina told him. "Tell me if the time now is what you consider _early._ "

Suspiciously, Link checked the time. He slowly dragged the watch out of his pouch, opening it and staring at the time. "It's... Almost noon?" Link looked very surprised.

Regina nodded. "And we aren't at your house. Don't you think your family is worried?" She questioned.

Link bolted up. "Shoot!" He ran away.

Regina rolled her eyes. _Idiot._ She rose up and followed him quickly, catching up to him. From looking at his face, she could tell that he was worried sick of how he most likely made his family upset.

"I'm sure upsetting your family isn't the only problem," said Regina, desperately wanting to laugh.

Link shot a look of confusion. "What do you mean?"

Regina stared at him intently, raising her eyebrows and lifting her eyes. With that look, Link immediately knew what she meant...

"O-oh..." His face turned red in embarrassment. "That would-would not b-be the best th-thought..."

Regina wanted to burst out laughing. Have mercy on the poor boy, he was innocent enough to find himself in this situation.

"I have an idea," Regina said. "Why don't we just say we went out early to plan the next step of the journey?" she suggested to him. "It would make sense, considering we are saving Hyrule, after all."

Link sighed. "I'm not that great of a liar when it comes to lying to family and such..."

"Well, lucky for you, I'm pretty good at lying," Regina winked. If he only knew...

Link quickly looked away, then looked back towards her. "Fine, it's better than having suspicion arise all around us."

They both quietly walked back to Ordon. Regina was quickly composing ideas of what exactly to say. Link was hoping that not even a thought of suspicion would enter their minds. Link held open the door for Regina and then let himself in. Ruby was sitting on the sofa, reading a book.

"Oh hey there!" Ruby called out, with a smug look on her face.

"Where is grandma?" Link asked.

"She is baking. She woke up early today and finally opened up the bakery again since I'm back."

"That's good," Link said.

Ruby sat up. "Where were you guys?"

Link froze. Luckily, Regina would speak up. She cleared her throat.

"We woke up early and discussed the next step of saving Hyrule," Regina told her. "Your brother insists on immediately going to the next temple, but I keep telling him he needs to do something else first."

Link gave Regina an awkward smile.

"Link," said Ruby. "Just listen to Regina. Anyway, she is probably right about everything."

Regina chuckled. "See Link, not just me, but your sister says you should listen to me."

Link played along with it. "Fine, we'll do that first, if you insist. Regina, let's go to the study to plan."

"Didn't you already plan?" Ruby asked.

Link froze again. He messed up.

"Um- we just have to look at a map really quickly," Regina said quickly. "We'll be back in a bit!"

Regina grabbed Link's arm and took him down the hall, into the study.

Link sighed in relief. "Thank you."

Regina glared at him sarcastically.

The plan went through Regina's mind as Link sat, playing with his hands.

She remembered that now they were barely at the center of their journey, and she was assigned a task by the goddesses to tell him at this point. Without it, there would be no chance to defeat Henrad and his evil forces, since it was the only divine thing that could seal up the darkness.

The Master Sword.

She had seen illustrations in dusty history books of it; Its indigo frame was entwined with streams of emerald and had a bead of gold in the center. The blade was double-edged, engraved with the crest of the Triforce. The sword had been forged by the sacred flames of Din, Nayru, and Farore, and blessed by the hand of Hylia herself. The power of light vested in it surely would defeat any evil that came to Hyrule if used properly. Of course, the sword would choose its master, which surely is Link. He is the only one that can pull out that sword from the depths of the Lost Woods. If she were to pull it out, she would instantly die.

However, telling him of the Sword comes at a price. Regina remembered what they had told her. The power of the sword would be too much to handle for her, so before-

"Should we get out of here now?" said Link. "We've been in here for a while."

Regina sighed. Here it went. "I actually need to tell you something very important. It is crucial for our journey."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Go on," he said softly.

She took a deep breath. "In order to defeat Henrad and his rebellion, we need something more, um, divine."

Link shot a look of confusion. Regina continued. "Yes, you are destined for this and you are granted the Triforce of Courage, but Courage alone cannot defeat such an evil force. Legends and destined heroes before our generation have had the help with the _Sword That Seals the Darkness._ It lies in the heart of the Lost Woods, where it awaits its master. Link, the sword awaits your arrival. Without it, the evil forces cannot be sealed away in the sword."

Link looked around. "Are you telling me this sword is something we really need?"

"Desperately," replied Regina.

 ***crickets chirping***

"Very well then," said Link. "Let's do it."

 _Good._

"Thank you," Regina told him. "Why don't we eat first, and then head out?"

Link nodded. "Sounds good to me."

They walked out of the room and sat down on the sofa, where Ruby was waiting.

"Well, that was long," Ruby said with a smirk.

Regina saw Link roll his eyes into the back of his head.

"When's midday supper?" Asked Link.

"Hmm, now, I guess." Ruby told him.

On cue, Grandma walked out from the kitchen. "Hello Children," spoke Grandma. "I have prepared a quiche for midday supper. The bakery is quite busy today, and I must go. I will see you all later tonight!" Grandma quickly set the quiche before them, then headed back into the bakery.

"I'll go get some plates and silverware," Ruby stood up and started searching the cabinets.

Link was intensely staring at the quiche before him. His eyes were in love; he was smiling at the food and leaned in very close to it.

Regina slapped his arm.

"Hey!" Yelled Link.

"Don't lean in so close to the food, you'll get your germs all over it!" Regina chuckled.

"Why are you concerned about germs when we constantly have to slay monsters with far worse germs?" Link retorted.

Regina squinted. "Valid point, however it seems as you're staring at the food with such intent and admiration."

"Do not judge me, I have an uttermost affection for food. I cannot help myself." Link pointed at the quiche. "Isn't she so beautiful?"

"Beauty soon to be devoured," Regina replied. "Eating the love of your life, aren't you?"

Link made eye contact with Regina. "Most definitely," Link winked at her.

Regina coughed very loudly. "Uncalled for, Link! We are at the supper table! No such comments belong here!"

Link just laughed endlessly as Ruby set the plates and silverware onto the table. "I don't know what all the commotion is about, but please stop, you are giving me a head ache."

Link continued to laugh loudly.

"I apologize for his behavior," Regina told Ruby. "He is too immature to understand anything."

"I am not immature!" Link chuckled.

"Many would say otherwise. Anyway, shall we eat?" Regina asked.

Regina sat down on the sofa after washing the dinner plates and silverware. She couldn't help but feel stressed. She hated it, especially the first time it happened. Why was it so painful? Couldn't the goddesses make it more pleasant?

Here she was, preparing to go through it again. There was a reason for this to happen again. If she did not go through with it again, it would ruin the journey and the mission itself. It had to be done. The pain must be achieved.

Link was on the other side of the sofa, polishing his mediocre blade. "You look nervous."

"Do I?" She acted surprised. "I didn't realize."

"What are you nervous about?" he asked.

Regina couldn't tell him. "Just about the Master Sword." She lied.

"Do you think I'm going to fail in retrieving the sword?" asked Link, raising a brow.

"Uh- well, no, it's not that. It's just a big achievement in our journey together." Regina quickly blurted.

"I see," Link said. He continued to clean his sword.

 _It's_ _power is too much to handle..._

Regina shuddered.

"Shall we get going?" asked Link.

Regina slowly nodded. "Shouldn't you say farewell to your Grandmother?"

"Good idea," Link laughed. "I would have forgotten about that."

 _We must restrengthen the spell..._

After saying goodbye, Link and Regina left the house, walking towards the direction of the forbidden woods. "Is the sword going to help us find the Princess?" asked Link.

"Perhaps. I cannot give her location away to you at the moment." Regina told him.

"Aha, so you do know about her whereabouts." Link chuckled.

 _It will restrain your true self..._

"Yeah..." Regina replied. "I guess I do."

The trail became more covered with tree branches and vines.

Regina felt it. First, it was the heart. It burned of fire and raged inside her. The pain was awful, but Regina kept on walking. Link didn't seem to notice.

Then it was her chest. The lungs turned colder than ice. Her breathing restricted, and she began coughing relentlessly.

"Regina? Are you okay?" Link asked. He held her back from walking any further.

Then it was her stomach. It ached so hard, it felt like strong punches.

 _The pain will be your guide..._

"Regina?!" Link started to show his concern.

Then it was her arms and legs. They became very numb, causing Regina to fall to the ground.

"Regina!" Link hovered over her body, freaking out. A tear slid from Regina's eye.

Then finally, it was her head. It became so light and fuzzy, everything around her looked broken. Her head hurt, and she felt herself begin to shut down. It was almost over.

 _You will see us once more..._

"Please, respond to me!" Link desperately asked. Regina could not move a muscle. Her body froze; her mind began to slow down. She felt her eyes closing.

"I'm sleepy," Regina groaned softly.

"What, Regina? What do you mean?" He shook her, but there was no response. Her eyes were shut, her face very pale.

 _This process must be done..._

"Wake up, Regina!" He listened for her beating heart. It was a very subtle sound. "Please, please be okay." Link begged.

 _... to protect the Princess from awakening._

 **A/N : ****Hmm.. fishy...**

 **SORRY FOR LACK OF NEW CHAPTERS!!! IT HAS BEEN LIKE FOREVER SINCE UPLOADING. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. I will try not to let this happen again. Hiatus, I guess. Well, what happened is that this chapter got deleted and I had no motivation to rewrite it. But here it is! I'M SORRYY**

 **Ah... Regina... Always causing trouble. She deserves an oscar lol**

 **That's all I'm gonna say about this chapter! Don't forget to comment and review on the story! Let me know what you think and how I can improve.**

 **And if you like this story, don't forget to follow or add this story to your favorites!**

 **Chao friends!** **-AR**


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